ARCHIVED: The Chaos Demons Original Draft
by Kulmanari
Summary: WARNING: This is not the sequel to Truth Seeker. This is my first story and inspiration for the whole series. The second story in the series will be a complete rewrite and expansion of this and labeled clearly when it is published.
1. Remember me

The Chaos Series by Kulmanari

_Truth Seeker - **The Chaos Demons **- Legend of the Black Knight - Reflections In Time_

**Chapter 1**

**"Remember me…"**

The world as we know it has ended. On that fateful afternoon in September, hordes of demons poured out the deepest depths of hell to bring mankind to its knees. They succeeded…

Cody Martin has survived the slaughter that destroyed Boston, taking his entire family with it, and was present when America made its final stand for its very survival. The worlds' greatest superpower is one of the last nations to finally fall to the demons, battered and broken, with no organized resistance left to carry on.

Only one person has the power to keep on fighting against all odds, push back the demonic tide and restore order to the dark world. That person is Cody himself, but in order to return the light to the ravaged earth he will need the help of just one other person. He will need Zack's help, but he's been dead for two years now…

_And the rain will kill us all_

_We'll throw ourselves against the wall_

_But no one else can see_

_The preservation of the martyr in me _

_Psychosocial - Slipknot_

_

* * *

In the not so distant future..._

Cody Martin awoke from his nightmarish dreams to intense pain. Something was pinning his body to the ground, something lying across his legs. He also had lost feeling in his left arm and found in difficult to breathe because of the rubble burying him from his shoulders down. What happened? He struggled to remember where he was and how he'd ended up in this predicament.

Shifting his body to the right, as that arm was still free, Cody yelped as agonizing pain lanced up his pinned legs. He tried pulling his legs forward, but they barely moved. He tried kicking the debris around his feet with the limited movement his legs possessed, and to his relief he felt the pressure of whatever was pinning him let up. Sitting up Cody managed to free his left arm and dig out the lower half of his body, painfully pulling his legs out from under a metal beam that had narrowly avoided crushing them.

"Ugh…what happened?" Cody whispered to himself, rubbing the side of his head. He had a terrible headache. Looking around he saw the ugly shapes of decrepit and half destroyed buildings around him. Shattered windows, burnt out cars and all manner of things with deep gouges in them, which looked frighteningly similar to claw marks, stared back at him on the empty street. He now knew this place…He hadn't seen it in almost two years, but he had once called it home.

The rubble that had buried him was all that was left of the once magnificent Tipton hotel in Boston. Cody could still remember those wonderful days living up on the twenty third floor with his mother and twin brother Zack. Those were the days when he had so much fun and lived an innocent life with a promising future ahead of him. Now he had nothing. He was an empty soul wandering a world that no longer belonged to the human race, without a home, without a family and without hope of surviving much longer. The demons knew he was powerful, and they would keep coming for him, as they had tonight, until he was finally dead. Denying them their prize was perhaps the only motivation that kept Cody going in these dark times.

He sat down with his back against a half collapsed wall where the Tipton's lobby had once been, too tired to try and find what he'd come to the hotel for. Cody sat there for many minutes, shivering slightly in the cold air, his heart skipping a beat at every strange noise heard in the distance, his eyelids getting heavier all the time. Slowly but surely, the young man fell into a deep sleep…and the nightmare continued…

* * *

_Cody climbed out of bed early in the morning, he always was up before Zack who stayed up late watching TV or playing video games, and after a few steps stubbed his toe on Zack's skateboard which was lying in the middle of the room. Hissing in pain Cody sat down on the edge of his bed, nursing his big toe. A flash of anger boiled up inside of him, his brother never cleaned his side of the room and constantly left stuff lying on the floor like that. Reaching back behind him Cody grabbed his pillow and chucked it across the room, hitting Zack square in the face._

_"Oww, what the…?" Zack said groggily, sitting up and looking around the room before settling his gaze on Cody._

_"Next time don't leave your skateboard in the middle of the floor!" Cody said angrily, getting to his feet and hobbling over to the dresser to get a fresh change of clothes. _

_"Yeah, yeah," Zack said, deciding not to put up a fight, lying back on his bed and closing his eyes. Cody shook his head at Zack's laziness and went into the bathroom to brush his teeth and change. When he came out he found Zack had been drawn out of their room by the smell of the breakfast their mom was cooking, one of the few meals that even she couldn't screw up. Carey Martin's cooking was the stuff of legend among their family, and usually they ate takeout or whatever Cody cooked when he felt up to it._

_The sound of a sudden banging noise outside the suite made them all jump. All eyes turned on the door to the suite as something slammed into it on the other side, cracking the wood of the door frame. Carey moved around from behind the kitchen to stand in front of her sons, her hand grabbing Cody's cell phone off the counter as she went. _

_"Get in your room and lock the door!" She hissed, starting to dial 911 as the door suddenly crashed inward. Fear rooted the Martin's in place. It was hard to describe what they were seeing, ugly creatures that looked like they came straight out of a fantasy novel. There were several creatures, all snarling and drooling, moving into the suite. They were tall, easily taller than any of the Martins and much bigger. _

_"RUN!!" Carey screamed, throwing herself into the path of the advancing monsters. Everything from that point happened so fast, it was almost a blur to Cody. He and Zack obeyed their mother, the fear in her voice made them spring into action and race into their room. Zack slammed the door shut and locked it while Cody pulled the grate off the air duct in their room. The door to the boy's room bent inward and splintered the doorframe as the monsters crashed into it. Cody hesitated in horror…was mom already dead?_

_"GO!!" Zack exclaimed, pushing Cody into the vent. It was a tight squeeze, the twins had gotten bigger over the years and could now barely fit in the ducts. Zack climbed in behind him as the door to their room flew off its hinges and slammed into the wall narrowly missing Zack's feet which were not all the way in the duct yet. One of the monsters grabbed Zack by the ankle and started dragging him out._

_"Cody help!" Zack cried. Cody squirmed and squeezed his body around to turn and go back after Zack. He crawled forward until his jeans suddenly snagged on something, a loose screw. He couldn't move forward anymore but he reached out, his fingertips managing to reach Zack's outstretched hand. They held onto each other, both straining to reach out even further. _

_The monster holding onto Zack bit down on the leg it was holding. His brother screamed and lost his grip. Cody watched helpless as the monster dragged Zack out of the duct and threw him to the floor. Zack rolled sideways, narrowly avoiding the pouncing action of the monster that had been holding him. Cody was screaming in the duct, pounding his fists on the metal, doing everything he could to free himself and help fight off the monsters trying to kill his brother. Zack managed to get to his feet and reached the duct, but rather than climb in, he slammed it shut and locked it. _

_"No!!" Cody screamed at his brother. He couldn't understand why Zack would not try to escape now. Zack stared at Cody through the duct cover, their tear streaked eyes staring back at one another, trying to make him understand. Zack loved his brother, and would die to protect him if necessary. That time had now come._

_"Remember me…" Zack said sadly. The monster behind him had now recovered and dragged Zack down to the ground. Cody heard his brother's horrible screams of pain…and then all was silent. _

* * *

Cody Martin awoke from his nightmare with a start. The cold wind blowing through the empty Boston streets had numbed his fingers and ears. He stood up, feeling the stiffness in his whole body. How long had he been asleep? It was considerably lighter outside now than it had been before and the first sliver of the golden sun was visible on the distant horizon.

"Remember me…" Cody heard Zack's final words in his mind, over and over again. His brother's words and final screams haunted his every waking moment and he had to relive that tragic morning every time he slept. He never had any peace, he could never escape that horrible memory, he could never forget.

Anger boiled through his body. It just wasn't fair, none of it was! The Chaos Demons had taken everything and everyone from him. He was alone in this world, there was no one left alive. No one else could stand against the Demons. No one.

Warmth surrounded Cody as he stood there, feeling rage pass through him. A soft golden light surrounded his body, the light came from within and gave him the strength to fight back. It was his greatest power, his only weapon against the Demons. He was different from everyone else, he had a power no other soul had. In Zack's final seconds Cody had seen the power inside of Zack too, but it was already too late by then.

Staring into the distance at the rising sun he now remembered his reason for coming to the Tipton after humanity's last stand had failed. It was a slim chance that what he needed still existed here, but if it did he could give the human race a second chance. He could save mom and dad. He could save Zack…

* * *

**Author's Note:** This is my first fanfic, feel free to leave constructive critiscm. I've been working on my own works of fiction on and off for a few years now. I've been distracted lately by this story idea and decided to try it out in TSL setting. Tell me if you like it so far. I know the first chapter doesn't give away much, and it's not supposed to. The goal here was to introduce the reader to the world as it exists in 2010 from Cody's POV and flashback the memory of that day just before the world came crashing down.

The Chaos Demons are creatures from our mythology btw (orcs, trolls, wraiths, etc), they're poorly described in Cody's flashback because it's a great shock to him and then he's running for his life and has no idea what the heck is going on. I may have to up the rating from T to M later on depending on how much violence I decide to add.

**Coming Up: Chapter 2 "Reborn from the ashes"**

Cody Martin knows he has the power to save the world, but he has been weakened by the constant struggle to survive on his own. He needs time to rest and figure out how exactly the demons came to our world in the first place before he can seal the entrances. A little help from Zack, who also has the mysterious powers Cody discovered he possessed right after the world ended, wouldn't hurt either. There's just a few snags...the world is completey overrun with demons all closing in on Cody and then there's the fact that Zack's been dead for two years...


	2. Reborn from the ashes

**Chapter 2**

**"Reborn from the ashes"**

_There's nothing else to lose  
Nothing left to find  
There's nothing in the world  
That could change my mind  
There is nothing else  
There is nothing else..._

_Hanging By A Moment, Lifehouse_

Thick steam filled the small shower, the hot water creating it carrying away the last of the blood, sweat and dirt, but not the pain…Never the pain. Cody bowed his head slightly letting the warm water run through his hair and down over his face. It felt so good…Every muscle was relaxed; every bruise gently soothed and for the first time in several months he was clean again. The warmth was incredible after having been stuck making his way to Boston just as winter began to settle in.

Cody stood there remembering the last few hours that had brought him to this point. He'd managed to locate Arwin Hawkhauser's office in the Tipton's basement, thankfully still intact. The thing that he had sought was there, completed and ready to be used and a battery provided just enough juice to get it to work. It seemed too good to be true, but was there any other explanation as to how he'd gotten where he now was?

In the months before the end of the world Arwin, the Tipton's eccentric hotel engineer, had once again ventured into creating a machine capable of sending a person back through time. It wouldn't have worked very well had Cody not helped him build it and from time to time correct the engineer's flawed mathematic calculations. It had actually worked…Cody still had a hard time believing it, but here he was two years in the past. It was exactly what he had wanted and yet far more than he could have hoped for. Hope…for the first time since the United States of America fell apart did he feel that particular emotion…

Reaching forward Cody turned off the water and stood there a moment, letting the last rivulets of water run down his body. He remembered an intense pain after he had engaged the time machine, like a thousand needles poking him all over his flesh. There was a blindingly bright blue light and then he'd suddenly found himself deposited onto a busy road with traffic coming directly at him. The blue light had caused most of the oncoming vehicles to swerve around him and Cody wasted no time getting off the highway. He'd been scared out of his mind at the time and had to pause for a moment on the side of the road before accepting what had happened. It had really worked!!

Cody stepped out of the shower into the motel's small bathroom, dried off and changed into clean clothes. How long had it been since he'd last worn clean clothes? He shrugged off the thought and stared at himself in the mirror for several minutes.

Gone was the short scrawny boy he'd once been, replaced by a tall muscular young man in good shape. He'd grown at least a foot since the day the world ended, and he'd had to become strong, build up his endurance and stay in shape in order to stay alive. The Chaos Demons were very powerful and despite Cody's strange powers, some battles with them often ended up too close for comfort. He'd also cut his hair short so that it no longer passed below his ears, just as he used too when he, Zack and Mom had first moved into the Tipton. There was also something different about his face, it was his eyes. Eyes that had seen too much, shedding their innocent sparkle for a dull sheen…

Sighing softly Cody moved away from the mirror and left the bathroom to flop down on the room's single bed. He'd rented the room at a cheap motel right off the highway and had managed to get clothes that fit him from one of those combination gas station and souvenir stores that were usually found at the exits to major cities. He'd paid for it all from cash that he had scavenged from the dead, they didn't need it anymore and he knew that if Arwin's time machine worked, he'd need money.

He was somewhere near Boston, that much he knew. In the morning he'd figure it all out, he was just too damn tired right now to do much more than rest. He'd been awake almost sixty hours, minus the few hours he'd passed out in the rubble, hounded and pursued by wraiths and shadow creatures all the way to what was left of the Tipton in the future.

The Chaos Demons had learned that monsters like orcs and trolls were ineffective against Cody Martin, the strange human being with the power of light at his command. Such creatures were wiped out piecemeal by him, not to mention being vulnerable to the weapons of mortal man, so they'd learned to send demons that were much more powerful and much harder to kill. They'd even sent a dragon after him at one point during all of that. He remembered dodging through side streets and alleys, the ones that weren't completely blocked by fallen buildings, as the mighty beast tried to roast him from above. Cody had never fought a dragon before, though he knew they were vulnerable to mortal weapons, several of them having been killed by the Air Force in the early days of the end.

Flipping on the television to the local news channel Cody fell back onto the bed and made himself comfortable, his eyelids growing heavier by the second. He took notice of the date on the news, September 1st, 2008. Tomorrow would be the second, which meant he only had five days till Zack and Mom were killed by orcs and eight days until massive hordes of demons descended on all of mankind. He felt like he should be out there right now, working to prevent the coming disaster and felt guilty for just lying around. However, he also was very much aware of just how spent he was, his powers were weak and his body and mind were exhausted. He needed a little rest or else he would be no good to anyone.

Cody's head turned to one side, gently settling into the pillows as he fell asleep. The TV remote slipped from his hand, clattered noisily onto the floor and his nightmares continued…

* * *

_"Cody what's wrong??" Marion Moseby asked as he spotted the sixteen year old tear out of the elevator into the lobby and made a run for the front doors, his face red and covered in tears. Mr. Moseby, the Tipton's manager, grabbed Cody by the shoulders and kept him from leaving. Though he tried hiding it, he truly cared for Zack and Cody despite their antics in his hotel._

_"Z..za..ck and ma..mom…Th…they're da…dead…" Cody sobbed, his body shaking violently from fear and his crying. Mr. Moseby stared at the young man, not comprehending. Nothing bad like that could possible happen in his hotel…It just couldn't. _

_"Cody what are you talking about?" Mr. Moseby asked, trying to calm Cody down. The sound of an inhuman roar could suddenly be heard in the distance. _

_"They're coming…" Cody whispered in fear, looking over his shoulder in the direction he'd head the sound come from. He pushed himself free of Mr. Moseby's grip, blew past __Norman__ the door man and hit the street outside the Tipton running as fast as he could possibly go. He didn't look back. He ran so fast, and so far, the fear possessing him driving him forward far beyond what he could ever have expected. The streets, buildings, cars and people of downtown __Boston__ were just a grey blur to him now. They weren't important, the monsters chasing him were._

_Eventually Cody found himself outside his father's apartment building and tore up the stairs to Kurt Martin's room. He fished the spare key out of the nearby potted plant where it was hidden and put it in the lock with some difficulty; his hands were shaking like mad. He slammed the door behind him and locked it, stepping backward into the room breathing heavily. Cody watched the door intently and listened hard, any moment expecting to hear the sounds of the monsters coming to get him, the door being knocked off its hinges and feeling razor sharp claws tear into his body. Nothing happened. His father's apartment remained dark and quiet, besides his heavy breathing there wasn't a sound to be heard except for the distant wail of police sirens._

_After what seemed like several hours, Cody finally moved away from the door to the apartment and laid down on his father's couch, curling up in the fetal position still crying and shaking. His brother and mother dead…He couldn't accept that reality…He just couldn't. It wasn't possible!!_

_He must have fallen asleep there, because several hours later he awoke to someone gently shaking him. Having been dreaming about being chased by monsters, Cody awoke startled and fell off the couch onto the floor in an attempt to flee whatever was in the room with him. _

_"Whoa there Codester, it's me, it's dad!" Cody looked up at his father dumbly, the dream fading and the fog lifting from his consciousness. It was still dark in the room, he could barely see Kurt Martin's concerned face. Getting to his feet Cody wrapped his arms around his father who embraced him in return. _

_"You're safe Cody. You're safe, I've got you son." Kurt said, sitting his son down on the couch next to him. Cody had his face buried in Kurt's chest sobbing softly…_

_"They're dead dad…" he whimpered feeling a new wave of pain wrack through his body. Saying it aloud only made it more real. Made it hurt even worse…_

_"I know Cody. I know. You're alive though. Thank god you're alive…I don't know what I'd do if…" Kurt trailed off, and they both sat there in silence, holding onto each other and letting their tears flow unimpeded. They eventually fell asleep together on the couch till morning. _

_Several days later after the police had came by and questioned them, Cody and Kurt were sitting together again on the couch watching the news. Reports of the gruesome deaths of Zack and Carey Martin were all over the local stations when suddenly the broadcasts were interrupted by breaking news. Little did they know that they sat there watching the end of the world begin, so stricken with grief as they were…_

_All around the __United States__ there came reports of attacks by creatures that seemed to have walked off the pages of fantasy novels and the screens of the wildest movies. San Francisco, Los Angles, Las Vegas, Dallas, Houston, Orlando, Washington D.C., and __New York City__ were the first cities to come under attack by demonic hordes. They quickly spread to nearby places, such as __Boston__…and then Cody was once again running for his life from the very creatures who had taken his mother and brother from him._

* * *

Cody Martin awoke with a start, covered in a cold sweat. The TV was still on and there was some reporter talking about the upcoming presidential election. He looked frantically around the room, expecting to see a Chaos Demon ready to pounce upon him. It was tough, but Cody reminded himself that he was safe here. There were no demons. Not yet anyway.

He got out of bed and shut the television off. Despite the horrible memory he'd dreamed about, he felt like a million bucks. Glancing at the clock Cody noted he'd slept for almost sixteen hours, it was a few minutes past noon now which was as good a time as any to get moving. Today he was going to the Tipton to change his destiny, and the destinies of his brother and parents for Kurt too had died shortly after the end began.

Within a few minutes Cody had checked out of the motel and called a cab to take him into Boston. While he waited, he sat on the curb just outside motel just watching the normal every life going on around him, people filling up at the gas station across the street or pulling up to the drive through window at the fast food place next to it for lunch. He still felt detached from it, like it wasn't real to him.

Cody shrugged off the thought. He knew what he was here to do and nothing else mattered to him at this point. He had lived through two years of hell watching all of mankind being destroyed around him and now he had stepped back in time to prevent it all from ever happening. From the ashes of the future he had been reborn…

* * *

**Author's Note:** Not bad, kinda hammered this chapter out in a couple of hours, just did a lot of day dreaming during work about the sequence of events and wrote them down as soon as I came home. I don't know how you all like the use of dreams/nightmares to tell part of the story, but it won't be persisting as much from now on since the major events have been covered. These first two chapters are designed to catch the reader up on current events in the story, get to know Cody well and leave a cliff hanger or two or three...Just what is Cody capable of with his power of the light? When will he battle the demons? Is he a badass warrior like Trunks vs Frieza in Dragon Ball Z or is he just a lucky kid who accidentally gets things right? When will he be able to get Zack's help? etc etc. Ah well, things are about to get interesting. I've got a rough outline for Chapter 3 at the moment, but it isn't written yet. Should see it by next week depending on when I have time to write it. Oh, any really dumb spelling or grammar mistakes I blame myself for pushing this Chapter out with only one proof read done on it, I'll fix it if it needs fixin! Peace out!


	3. Family reunion

**The Chaos Demons**

**Chapter 3**

**"Family Reunion"**

_Ladies and gentlemen good evening  
You've seen that seeing is believing  
Your ears and your eyes will be bleeding  
Please check to see if you're still breathing  
Hold tight cause the show is not over  
If you will please move in closer  
Your about to be bowled over  
By the wonders you're about to behold here_

_Ladies and Gentlemen, Saliva_

"So what'll it be kid?" Cody snapped out of his momentary daze to look up at the taxi cab that had just pulled up in front of him. The driver leaned his head out the window, he was overweight, decently tanned, had a mop of short curly black hair on his larger head and a bad five o'clock shadow.

"Well?" A flicker of impatience passed over the driver's dark beady eyes.

"Uh…the Tipton, please," Cody answered as he stood up and jumped in the back of the cab. The driver was still looking at the curb, apparently confused about something. Cody frowned, looking at the man in his rearview mirror.

"No luggage?"

"Um…just meeting someone there…" he answered, feeling relieved. The last thing he needed at this moment was complications, however big or small. Shrugging, the cab driver put the car into gear and sped off out of the parking lot, onto the main road and headed out towards the highway for a quick hop down towards downtown Boston.

Cody sat back in the seat and forced himself to relax. He was anxious to see his family again, alive and whole once more. At the same time though he was nervous…how was he going to approach them? How could he make them believe his story? How could he tell them that they were supposed to die in a few days? He sighed heavily and glanced out the window as the cab sped down an off ramp into the outskirts of downtown Boston.

"Picked a good time my friend, traffic doesn't look half bad," the driver said lightly from the front. Cody mumbled a reply and continued staring out the window, watching the people and buildings race past. He couldn't help remembering the day he'd been running out of Boston on this very street, himself and several hundred other people being chased by the Demons on the ground while a dragon flew overhead causing mass chaos and gridlock as it blasted everything in sight.

His father, Kurt Martin, had been there running with him as well. They'd gotten separated by the stampeding crowd, Kurt being forced almost a block away before he was able to start making his way back to where Cody was standing on the hood of a crashed car looking for him. It was all over so quick… One minute Kurt had been struggling to make his way back to his son and then he was simply gone, a pillar of fire reaching towards the sky in his place. It was the murderous dragon. It had struck a gas line just under the street with its dumb luck and blew up the intersection where Kurt had been and almost half a city block in every direction. Cody had been knocked down into the pavement by the force of the blast, the heat from the fire singing his hair.

Cody squeezed his eyes shut trying to make the horrible images go away, but there was nothing he could do to block out the screams of hundreds of people being burned to death. Then there were thousands of others screaming in surprise, panic and some, like Cody, in anguish. He rubbed his temples, trying to sooth the pain he felt in his head. He just wanted the pain to go away!!

"Having one of those days huh?" The memories faded away in an instant as Cody opened his eyes and looked up at the rearview mirror to find the driver looking at him with a concerned expression on his face. "That's about how I feel every Monday…though that could just be the hangover from Sunday." The man chuckled softly and then announced that they were almost there.

The Tipton hotel, completely intact and as magnificent as ever, seemed to slide into place alongside the cab. Cody paid the driver, thanked him and got out of the already open cab door. A Tipton attendant stood there, holding the cab door open for him as Cody extracted himself from the taxi. The attendant looked around for Cody's luggage until Cody told him he didn't bring any. Man, everyone expected him to have luggage…well it was his own fault after all! He couldn't remember anyone checking in to the hotel without any.

Despite his nervous anxiety, Cody took the handful of steps up to the lobby doors at a jog. It was hard not to be excited!

"Hey Norman. Good to see you again!"

"You too sir. Welcome back to the Tipton." The middle aged doorman answered. Norman had been doing his job so long now that he no longer cared how people knew his name or if he'd ever seen them before. He just treated everyone like he'd met them dozens of times before and the guests liked that, which was all that mattered really.

The lobby was exactly as Cody had remembered it in the dream where he'd fled from it, except this time it was devoid of a boy on the verge of emotional collapse fleeing from a small army of monsters. There was Irene the concierge, talking to a guest on the telephone recommending a movie theater that had a good restaurant within walking distance for a late dinner. Against the far wall near the elevators was Maddie Fitzpatrick at the candy counter, absorbed in one of the newest fashion magazines. On the left was Mr. Moseby himself, the Tipton's strict manager, looking over at Maddie.

"I pay you to sell those, not read them Madeline," Moseby quipped.

"An informed employee is a good employee Mr. Moseby." Maddie replied, turning the page. Moseby made his customary growl and she put the magazine up on the rack behind her then turned around with a bored look on her face. That is, until she saw Cody standing by the doors drinking in the scene, a small smile playing across his lips. She smiled back and gave him a wink. Cody turned from her, slightly embarrassed. Maddie had the worst luck when it came to guys, and yet she'd always rejected the perfect person for her. Zachary Martin. Cody's brother had developed a crush on her at first sight and was always trying to get her to go out with him.

"Right this way sir!" Mr. Moseby motioned him to the check-in counter where he stood. Cody walked over completely at a loss for words. What was he going to say? Moseby looked at him for a second, almost as if he could recognize the one time prankster he'd had to chase around his hotel on more than one occasion.

"Do you have a reservation sir?" Moseby asked, resting his fingers on the keys of his laptop to look it up.

"Um…actually I'm just here to visit someone." Cody croaked, trying to nonchalantly dry his sweaty palms on his jeans.

"Oh! Well then I'll just need to see photo identification and I'll print you up a visitor's tag for the rest of the day. Who are you here to see?" Just what Cody needed! A snag! He didn't have any identification.

"The Martin family," Cody answered the second part of the question first to stall for more time, his mind racing in circles for an answer.

"Come to take them away I hope?" Moseby joked, he was always trying to get Carey Martin to send her sons off to military school…well at least Zack anyway.

"I don't have any ID with me sorry…" Cody blurted it out, too anxious to think of a better answer.

"Well then I can't let you wander around the hotel then, security reasons you understand young man. If you'll wait a moment I can call their room and have them come down…?" The elevator dinged softly in the background and before Cody could answer Mr. Moseby a terrific crashing noise followed by what sounded like an avalanche came from behind him.

Together, Moseby and Cody looked around to see what had happened. A pile of luggage was lying haphazardly on the floor. The luggage groaned. Rather, Esteban the bellhop who was buried underneath the luggage groaned.

"I'm ok!" He called out in a dazed, heavily accented, voice, "Zee carpet broke my fall." Someone scrambled out from under the mess beside Esteban.

"ZACK!!" Moseby hollered at the boy who was getting to his feet, decked out in a helmet, safety pads and roller skates. Time seemed to slow down as Cody stood rooted where he was staring at his brother. He felt his heart ache seeing Zack alive again and up to mischief as always. An involuntary twitch of movement passed through him, a desire to run up and hug Zack, before Cody halted the movement.

"Sup dude!" Zack said to Cody as he glided past on his skates headed for the door with Mr. Moseby in pursuit threatening him with all manner of punishments, including having a talk with Carey Martin. Cody watched Zack leave. Seeing his brother had been shocking enough, hearing his voice was almost too much.

Before Moseby could return Cody bolted into the elevator, which thankfully was still on the lobby floor and punched the button for the twenty third floor. His heart ached for his family, but Cody knew that the first thing he needed to do was to establish contact with them and explain the situation. Mom and his younger self should be up in the suite right now. Before he knew it, he was standing outside of the suite where he'd lived for over four years. The place where this mess all started. He knocked and the door opened relatively quickly.

"Hi. Can I help you?" The younger version of Cody asked, greeting Cody with an inquiring look and tone of voice. He must have been sitting at the table doing homework to have beaten Carey Martin, who now stood behind young Cody looking over him, to the door. For the sake of his sanity, Cody began mentally referring his younger self as Codester which had been the nickname his parents always called him when he was younger.

"I'm just here to visit my family," Cody said, ignoring his younger self to meet his mother's stare. She had her head slightly cocked to one side, he eyes moving slightly up and down studying his face. He prayed she'd recognize him because he couldn't stand being a stranger in front of his family anymore.

"Wrong room?" Codester asked, clearly not interested. Cody sighed softly and decided to be straightforward about it.

"My name is Co…" he never got to finish as mom stepped forward, put her hands on his shoulders and looked him hard in the eye.

"Cody Martin?" she breathed, her eyes traveling from his hair, down to his eyes, across the moles on his face and back again. That was the straw that broke the camel's back, his mother recognized him, and tears formed in his eyes.

"Oh god Mom I've missed you," Cody sobbed falling into his mother's embrace. The hard tough guy exterior he'd worn for the last two years had helped him survive in the depressing future and yet here in his mother's arms it melted away completely. He didn't even mind the awkwardness in her hug.

"How? What is going on?" Mom asked, her left hand gently stroking his hair.

"Um…who are you?" Codester asked, staring at the two of them curiously.

"I'm you, two years from now."

"No way…"

"Arwin finally made a working time machine," Cody answered, feeling a flash of pride for the engineer who'd been a good friend of his. Mom finally let him go and stepped back motioning him to come in.

"How did you know Mom?" She still had a shocked look on her face, but managed to give him a warm smile.

"Are you kidding? A mother can always tell." Mom sat down on the couch and patted the spot next to her, "Sit down and tell us what's going on."

"This is totally weird…" Codester breathed, not noticing he was staring. Sitting here now, at the home he'd enjoyed the most, in the company of his family made Cody happier than he'd ever been. The joy at recovering something you had loved that you had once lost, because only after losing that something could you fully appreciate it, was indescribable. He could feel the power of the light resonate throughout his body. Love was a powerful emotion that fueled it far greater than anything else in existence. A soft golden glow surrounded him, though it wasn't truly bright enough to be noticed by his family, but they could feel it. Of that he was certain.

Before Cody could begin to tell his sad tale someone knocked loudly on the door to the Suite. Mom and Codester glanced back and forth between him and the door.

"Boston Police. Open the door!" an authoritative voice announced. Mom rose from the couch swiftly and answered the door, meeting two uniformed police officers in addition to a very concerned looking Mr. Moseby.

"Carey, are you alright?" he asked, stepping into the room along with the officers. The taller, slightly chubby, officer pointed at Cody who was still seated on the couch.

"Is that him sir?"

"Yes, he's the one who snuck up here while I was distracted." Moseby answered, glaring at the newcomer. Cody felt a twinge of panic crawl up his spine. How could he save the world if he was hauled off to prison? It wasn't like he could resist them either…the power of the light didn't work against mortal men and women, only against the demons.

"Wait Mr. Moseby. He's my nephew come to visit. My sister couldn't come here with him, too sick to fly," Carey lied on the spot, rather impressively. The police officers halted halfway between the door and Cody, glancing at Mr. Moseby as if waiting for new instructions.

"I didn't know you had a sister Carey." Moseby stated, taking a hard look at Cody.

"Yeah well, ever since my boys nearly burned down her house, we haven't spoken much." Moseby nodded in understanding as though her lie was the absolute truth. To him it was perfectly believable, considering how the boys were quite the hell raisers at the Tipton, he could easily imagine such a thing happening elsewhere.

"Well, if the kid's been invited over, there's nothing wrong here. We'll be on our way then, enjoy your evening folks." The taller officer said as he and his partner left the suite. To the casual observer it would have seemed that they had given up far too easily, but the truth of the matter was the fact that Cody's aura of light was still gently radiating around him. The light, barely visible even to him, awakened the very best emotions in people which made them feel very comfortable around Cody. The officers, Moseby and his family were all feeling strong emotions and memories, such as love, friendship, happiness, loyalty, trust and a sense of inner peace that calmed even the most troubled of minds.

Moseby apologized, warned Cody to bring identification next time he visited, and left the Martins in peace. Cody fell down into the couch, a huge sigh of relief escaping his lips.

"Thanks!" Mom winked at him and sat down next to him again. She and Codester both asked once again why he was here and what was going on.

As the sun crept lower in the sky and darkness crept its way into the suite, Cody told them his sad tale. At first they seemed to be in disbelief over their deaths and the subsequent appearance of demons from hell. Next there was shock as they listened to his tale of how he lived mostly on his own for two years in the wasteland that was once America, moving from place to place, meeting survivors who always ended up getting killed in the end. They listened to him tell them that he feared he attracted the very demons responsible for killing the survivors with his powers. When it was all said and done, a couple hours later, the three of them sat there silently.

"Everyone in the world was either dead or dying when I left to come here. There was nothing left for me there. I had to come here. I had to save you…" Cody whispered, looking down at the carpet. Mom hugged him again; tears of sadness in her eyes, and surprisingly Codester joined them.

"I'll do anything to save Mom and Zack. Anything. What's the plan?" Codester asked, resting his head against his mother's shoulder looking Cody directly in the eyes seeming to beg him for his help.

"I have a few ideas, but I know that without our power combined with Zack's Codester, we can't stop the Demons from entering our world."

"Speaking of Zack…Where is he?" Carey asked, looking around the suite as if expecting him to pop out of hiding and shout 'surprise'! Cody felt the sudden twinge of a bad feeling pass through his body. He tried to ignore it, it was probably nothing. There were no Demons here yet, not for another few days yet.

"He went to the skate park earlier," Codester answered, pulling out his cell phone and calling Zack with it. After a short pause the three Martins heard Zack's ring tone, muffled behind the door to the boy's bedroom.

"I'll go find him," Cody volunteered, getting up and moving towards the door. Codester followed, telling him that he'd go with him. Mom started to protest against them going outside now that it was dark out, feeling extra irrational fear because of the tale she'd just listened to for the past couple of hours. Cody reassured her that nothing would harm them while he was around and together he and his younger self left the hotel into the darkness of the night. They had no idea what was in store for them.

* * *

**Coming Up:** The storytelling of Cody's past and his brief respite are over. Cody's arrival in the past has somehow hastened the appearance of the first Demons and they're coming right for the Martins all over again. In a jaw dropping display of power Cody fights his first battle in the past, summoning the power of the light to overpower the limited number of Chaos Demons. There's just one snag…He's not able to stop them all. Several Demons manage to slip around him and are just inches from killing Zack and Codester when an unexpected protector steps up to hold the line of battle long enough for Cody to turn the tide.

Who might this mysterious protector be?

Why are the Demons already here?

How can they be stopped before all hell breaks loose?

Can they be stopped?

Find out in **Chapter 4: "In Darkness There Is Light" **

* * *

**Author's Note: **Yeah, you guys know you want the big scary Chapter 4. Let me know how you liked this chapter though. It started out pretty decent in my opinion, but right around the time Cody met his Mom the rough draft / outline for the next chapter completely infected my mind and totally distracted me. The ending of this chapter doesn't feel as strong as I had hoped and I'm kind of sad about it because it's such an important part. Well, that and I've been tearing through the pages of Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan which does a good job of keeping my attention. It's a good young adult book series I'd recommend you read if you're looking for a good book or four (Greek Mythology/Fantasy blended with every day normal life in the USA). Add my new Archmage in Warhammer Online to the list as well. Darn Distractions!

Well anyways, sound off in the comments and let me know how bad you want Chapter 4! Also, see if you can guess who the mysterious protector is. The best kept secret is the one in plain sight, overlooked because it has always been there. On that note I'll leave you with a bit of Chapter 4's theme song which will really put you in the mood for what is to come. Also, the first thirty seconds is pretty much what Cody hears in his nightmares of the end of the world. Really should check out the song. Enjoy, and be sure to _"Hold tight cause the show is not over"_... Peace out.

_You will be shown  
How I've become...  
Indestructible  
Determination that is incorruptible  
From the other side  
A terror to behold  
Annihilation will be unavoidable  
Every broken enemy will know  
That their opponent had to be invincible  
Take a last look around while you're alive  
I'm an indestructible master of war_

_Indestructible by Disturbed_


	4. In darkness there is light

**Chapter 4**

"**In Darkness There Is Light"**

_You will be shown  
How I've become...  
Indestructible  
Determination that is incorruptible  
From the other side  
A terror to behold  
Annihilation will be unavoidable  
Every broken enemy will know  
That their opponent had to be invincible  
Take a last look around while you're alive  
I'm an indestructible master of war_

_Indestructible by Disturbed_

"So what are we exactly?" Codester asked. It was the first time he'd spoken since the two of them had left the Tipton together a few minutes earlier. Cody considered the question for a moment. Truthfully he'd never put much thought into who or what he was. Figuring out how to survive usually dominated his every waking moment.

"I don't know. I've never really had much time to think on it…" he finally answered.

"Well I just mean that it's not normal. It might help us figure out how to stop the demons if we knew just what we are and where our powers come from."

"You can feel your powers?"

"Not really. It's just that I've always sensed we were a little different from everyone else, you know?"

Cody had to hand it to his younger self; he was very bright, already attacking the problem at hand with logic. They were silent for awhile after that, walking the lighted streets of downtown Boston to the nearby skate park which was where Zack usually hung out.

The buildings started changing and spacing out a bit as they entered a more residential area. A chilly wind blasted through the streets, making them shiver slightly in the still warm September evening. It made Cody feel uneasy for some reason. He shrugged it off.

"I'm sorry," Code said unexpectedly, glancing up at him.

"For what?"

"Losing your brother…I don't know what I'd do without Zack," Cody felt a pang of loss run through him, but it wasn't as bad as it usually was. It probably had something to do with the fact that he was back among family and a world not yet touched by demon hands.

"I miss him, I think of him all the time. I relive that horrible day I lost him in my dreams almost every night. It's been hard, but being here…it just seems right." Cody said at last after a short pause.

Together they drew closer to the skate park. In the distance Cody could see a young man on a skateboard rolling up and down a large ramp, doing tricks every time he reached the top. The park was washed out in bright fluorescent lights, lighting up the entire length of the place. A few other kids milled around talking by the gate that led into the fenced in park, holding their skateboards at their sides watching the young man do his tricks on the ramp.

Everything seemed so peaceful and normal right now, it was hard for Cody to believe that this place and everything around it had been utterly destroyed when the demons appeared on September tenth. Coming up to the gate, Cody could tell that it was indeed Zack on the ramps. Zack looked like he was enjoying himself, but his face was also fixed in a look of deep concentration as he pulled off one trick after another. For being such a carefree prankster, it was a refreshing change to see him taking something so seriously for once in his life. The teens milling about left as Cody and Code approached, telling each other they'd meet again tomorrow evening after school.

The brilliant fluorescent lights flickered madly all of a sudden, and a dull noise like wind rushing by drowned out the sounds of Zack's skateboard. The lights dimmed, flickered, dimmed some more and flickered again, as though fighting to stay working. Zack rolled to a stop and looked around in confusion. Darkness settled over the park, a thick cloud that blocked out the light of the moon, stars and planes passing overhead.

"What's happening?" Code asked while looking around, clearly as frightened as Zack was. The lights went out with a pop and the park was thrown into near total darkness, with only the street lamps on two sides of it giving any form of illumination. A dark fog seemed to be crawling across the side street and moving into the park. As it passed the edge of the fence, Cody could see shapes moving at the head of it. He stared in disbelief for a moment, his whole body frozen in horror. The Chaos Demons were already here…and they were coming for Zack all over again. Code seemed to realize the danger as well, for he was the first to yell at Zack and snap Cody into action.

"ZACK RUN!!" Code screamed at his brother who stood paralyzed before the sight of several dozen horribly grotesque creatures bearing down on him. The light from nearby streetlamps faded as shadow creatures and wraiths arrived from the dark clouds and began circling overhead, ready to move in for the kill.

Cody gathered every last ounce of light energy in his body and felt himself grow stronger as the power coursed through him from head to toe. A warm golden glow surrounded his body, lighting up the park once more and causing the shadows and wraiths to screech in annoyance. They despised the light most of all. In a heartbeat Cody took off sprinting towards Zack, who had finally decided to run away to the opposite side of the park. Confused by the sudden outburst of light energy from him, the orcs, ogres and trolls turned to attack Cody, which was fine with him.

An even brighter light surround his right hand and it rapidly took on the shape of a sword. The sword was mostly silver, with a golden cross guard and brown leather grip. The weapon glowed softly, just as Cody himself did, and strange symbols were inset in the blade of the sword. It was the sword in many legends, but best known to the world as Excalibur.

The first ogre reached Cody, swinging down at him with its large double sided axe. He dodged the attack nimbly and made a counter attack that ensured the demon would never get back up. He looked back up just in time to parry a thrust by a troll. They weren't particularly bright though and Cody turned his defensive parry into an offensive slash. Excalibur, empowered by the light, performed beautifully as it cut the troll completely in half at the waist. He back away, knowing there were too many to handle in close combat.

Cody built up power in his free hand and channeled it before him in an arc of destruction that blasted apart several ogres closing in on him. The rest of the demons backed off as the wraiths screamed downward for an attack. Excalibur didn't work on them unfortunately as they weren't physical beings like the other demons. Shadows and wraiths were very tricky to deal with.

One wraith came straight at his head, Cody had to duck and then immediately roll sideways to avoid a second one that was aiming lower and coming in from behind. Finishing the roll, he took aim and sent a ball of light chasing after the first wraith. It slammed into the ghostly figure and a second later the creature exploded into dust.

Knowing how limited he was in close combat, Cody slammed Excalibur into the ground and it sent up a wall of fire and light that crashed into the nearest demons. They were lit up briefly before exploding into dust. While the ones on the ground were distracted, Cody sent dozens of light orbs racing into the sky, each one chasing down a wraith or shadow creature. With uncanny accuracy, each orb found its target and smashed it into dust.

Floating several inches off the ground, Cody alternated between sending volleys of light orbs at the flying demons and firing off destructive light lances one after the other at the demons on the ground. He mixed it up a bit, throwing arcs of light in several directions which were indiscriminately blasting orcs, trolls, ogres, wooden skateboard ramps, metal railings and concrete.

Sensing the boys were in danger, Cody tilted in their direction and sent a lance of light into the ground. The energy raced across the ground, digging a deep furrow and exploding every few feet sending chunks of concrete, dirt and demon body parts flying everywhere.

Cody felt himself growing weaker by the minute and things weren't looking very good. Channeling the light was draining his stamina and there was still a large amount of demon creatures in the park. They'd originally been drawn to him because of his powerful life force, but now some of them were starting to turn and go after Zack and Code. Several other demons were attempting to surround him, to keep him from helping the younger boys and eventually kill him once and for all. Cody sent out a lance of light energy which cut across the advance of the demons heading for Zack and Code, killing several orcs and wounding others. It was all he could do as he turned to face the mass of demons rushing at him.

It was then that something strange happened. The wind seemed to be sucked away to a point behind Cody, seeming to pull the air from his lungs even, before it returned in a dull outward explosion that nearly knocked him over. Every dark corner of the park lit up, as though a thousand spotlights had suddenly been directed at this exact spot. Tremors shook the ground, thunder boomed close by and the smell of ozone permeated the air.

Spinning around to face the source of all the commotion, Cody's jaw dropped in disbelief. Hovering several inches off of the ground was Zack, surrounded by a brilliant white aura, his hands outstretched to both sides and lighting shining in his eyes. A dull rushing sound seemed to be drowning out all other sounds as the light grew in intensity. What? How could this be?

Bolts of lighting streaked out from Zack, seeming to form out of nowhere, striking dozens of orcs. The demons where silhouetted as skeletons for the merest fraction of a second before they exploded into dust. A cry of anger from Zack sent out a sphere of light, like a bubble, in all directions that made the hovering wraiths wail in surprise before they faded from existence. His aura pulsed again and again, disturbing the air and sending more lighting bolts smashing into the ground. They dug deep furrows in the concrete and danced their way into more demons, blasting them apart in blinding explosions.

Cody turned back around just in time to fend off the attacks from several orcs with hastily fired lances of light. He whipped his hand in an arc, released nearly a dozen orbs of light that chased after and slammed into the same number of wraiths. Cracks of light spread down their bodies seconds before they exploded into dust. Still, despite their best efforts, more demons were coming at them. Cody started heading towards Zack, who was fending off nearly double the number of demons assaulting Cody himself.

Drawing closer, Cody began to feel stronger and more refreshed as he somehow fed off Zack's energy. His golden aura pulsed and suddenly grew in intensity, washing out the white light his younger brother was giving off. Static electricity jumped back and forth between them as the edges of their auras touched. Without warning Zack's aura faded to a dim glow and he drifted back to the ground where he would have fallen over if Code hadn't steadied him by grabbing his shoulders. Cody knew from experience that Zack was spent, he'd used up nearly all of his stamina channeling the light and it had burned him out. He was absolutely floored by how much power and control his younger brother had, it was unreal. In that brief outburst, Cody came to the realization that Zack was far more powerful than he was.

He reached the boys and stood between them and the remaining demons. Cody crossed his arms out in front of his body as though he were trying to shield himself. A barrier of warm golden light spread out in front of him and bent back to encompass all three of them in a bubble of energy. The demons crashed against it, the orcs sliding backwards as they tried in vain to break through and the wraiths bouncing off it in failed attempts to dive through it.

"You won't hurt them ever again!" Cody screamed. He gritted his teeth and let his anger bubble over. He couldn't explain where it was all coming from but it made him stronger than he had ever been in his life. Despite his strength, the demons started pushing Cody's barrier back, it wasn't strong enough.

Zack moaned in agony from behind him and Cody felt something touch him, something that helped him shove back against the demons. He somehow knew that it was Zack, offering what little power he had left to help Cody push the demons back. Holding them back just wasn't the answer though, they needed to be killed.

Somehow, in a moment of clarity, Cody knew what to do without ever having done anything like it before. He cracked open the light barrier from behind and swung the whole thing around, the walls encircling all of the remaining demons. They shrieked in agony, being surrounded by so much light was incredibly painful to them. Now, it was time for them to die.

It seemed so easy to kill them all…The light of the barrier increased in intensity until it was a blinding sphere of golden light…and then it was simply gone. It had vanished as though it had never been there.

Cody spun around to find Zack cradled in Code's arms, nearly unconscious. His aura was gone and eyelids fluttered gently as he tried to stay awake. Code looked up from his brother at Cody, a million questions in his eyes but also deep concern for Zack showing in them.

"Zack you were awesome," Cody breathed, feeling exhaustion overtaking him as his adrenaline from the battle wore off. Zack's eyes opened and fixed upon Cody. There was something different in his eyes, the spark of being an innocent child was gone, but it was more than that. It looked like Zack was there watching him, but someone else was staring out of his eyes.

"I will always be there for you Cody. I will always protect you," Zack's eyes closed, but just before he passed out, he whispered something that made Cody's blood run as cold as ice…"Remember me…"

* * *

**Coming Up:** Recovering from battle, Cody enlists the aid of Code to help him search the internet and library for answers. Finding out what they are and where their powers come from may very well help them learn how to stop the chaos demons once and for all. They eventually stumble unto the myth of the Children of the Light…but what does it mean for them?

Meanwhile Zack recovers in bed from his ordeal, struggling to awaken from his nightmares. In brief moments of consciousness, he tells Cody and Code that he doesn't remember anything that happened. Nothing…except for the voice that spoke to him in his head…

Children of the Light?

Zack hearing voices in his head?

What the heck is going on?

Find out in **Chapter 5: "Children of the Light"**

* * *

**Author's Note:** Wow sorry it took so long to push out Chapter 4, almost a month yikes. It's been a crazy few weeks here, my laptop had a hard drive failure and took all my work with it, so I went out and picked up a new one (better suited to gaming heh) and have had to start Chapter 4 over from scratch. I don't think it's written as well as my other three chapters mainly because I'm not that great with action sequences and I wanted to get it up as fast as possible because I owe my fans.

Anyway, cliff hanger huh? Figured out who the mysterious protector is yet? No, it's not sixteen year old Zack Martin either….What? Surprised that while Cody is exceptionally powerful, Zack is more powerful still? What made Zack able to control his powers in his greatest moment of need? Why wasn't Code able to help since both brothers have the power of the light? Can you figure it out? Have you figured out some of the answers? Leave me comments and let me know how you like the direction the story is taking. Chapter 5 should have some answers, unless you've already guessed them heh.


	5. Children of the light

**Chapter 5**

"**Children of the Light"**

_Alone I walk the winding way.  
It's over,  
No longer,  
I feel it growing stronger.  
I'll live to die another day,  
Until I fade away._

The final fight I'll win,  
The final fight I'll win,  
But I will go on until the end.

Until The End by Breaking Benjamin

"You failed me!" The voice making the accusation wasn't exactly loud, but it was very deep and made the bones in the body of a small creature kneeling on the hard stone floor reverberate uncomfortably. It was laced with malice and the tone it spoke in hinted at great authority. Whatever was talking it made Cody uncomfortable and he rolled over in his sleep, his hands moving to cover his ears as though they had minds of their own.

"Nnnn…no! Lord Ashani, the boy was alone, but other children interfered," Such a sad sight was the creature kneeling before its master, so small and frail. Everything was dark, the only light in the place that they were in came from the dull glow of a distant torch. The person the little creature feared so much was masked in shadows and couldn't be seen, which only made him scarier.

"So a few mere mortals showed up? That still doesn't explain why the forces I sent out earlier are dead and the soul of the child is still hidden away inside its mortal body…" Lord Ashani hissed. There came the sound of dull thunking noises as he presumably paced back and forth, highly agitated.

"Not mortals my lord. The boy was protected by an extremely powerful…one of them," The little creature stammered, unwilling to utter the name of their greatest enemy aloud in the presence of Lord Ashani.

"Lies Tourin! Filthy gremlin lies! There are only three of them, there always has been since the beginning, a fourth child is just not possible. They are all young and weak, and now we are strong enough to breakthrough to the mortal world uncontested. You're lying to me." Ashani accused, pausing in his pacing. The gremlin Tourin felt the eyes of his master upon him, as though pinning him to the floor with a pair of stakes.

"I do not lie my lord! There is no other explanation for what happened to your demons…and there is more my lord. The boy you sought, he took part in the fighting too. He wiped out nearly half of the forces you sent. He is even more powerful than the new soul that appeared to protect him."

Lord Ashani was silent for a moment, contemplating everything he had heard. Gremlins were known to exaggerate their tales, but they were also cowards, especially in small numbers or when facing the demon lord himself. The implications of two powerful souls that walked the mortal realm in living bodies was far too frightening for even the demon lord to dwell on for long. He would have to kill them quickly, for there was no telling the kind of damage they could do if left unchecked. The demon lord screamed in anger and rage, sending a gentle tremor through the streets of Boston wakening Cody from his dream.

* * *

Feeling as though his head were in the clouds Cody sat up and looked around with a dumbfounded expression on his face. It was dark in room he was in, with only a faint hint of early morning daylight creeping in under the door. It took a few more seconds before he remembered that he'd fallen asleep on the floor of his old bedroom in the Tipton hotel. Carey had given him extra bedding to make himself comfortable and he'd passed out the moment his head hit the pillows.

In the dim light he could see Code sleeping soundly in his bed on one side and Zack on the other side tossing and turning in his sleep. Cody stood up and went to his brother's side, feeling sad for the pain he'd caused him. He blamed himself completely, he hadn't meant for the boys to get involved in the fighting. It should have been only him who suffered.

Zack was mumbling in his sleep, all the while he tossed and turned entangling his sheets tightly around his arms and legs. When he felt his movement restricted, he'd violently thrash around and fight against it for several seconds before rolling over on his other side. He was either reliving the events of last night or having really bad nightmares…or both. His face and shirt were completely covered in sweat and his blond hair was plastered all over his forehead.

Gently nudging the power inside of him, Cody summoned his aura around him but kept its power to a bare minimum so that it barely gave off any light. He thought of all the happy moments he'd shared with Zack over the years, it was hard to remember ever being so happy but somehow he managed it. He reached out and grabbed Zack's hand in his own, hoping his idea would work, and smiled in satisfaction as his power flowed freely into his brother. Cody's energy carried along his happy thoughts and filled Zack with feelings of trust, friendship, the love of family and peacefulness. Within seconds his breathing slowed and he stopped struggling against his sheets, falling into a deep restful sleep.

Cody carefully untangled his brother and set the sheets back over him, but only halfway so he could cool off a bit. He brushed the hair out of Zack's face and then released his hand. That should help him sleep soundly for several hours at least.

"Oh Cody you're so sweet," Carey Martin whispered from where she stood at the bedroom door dressed in her sleeping gown. He'd been aware of her presence for awhile in the back of his mind but hadn't really thought about her while tending to his brother. Carey gave him a quick hug and then sat down on the edge of the bed next to Zack. She kissed him on the forehead and then gently stroked his hair.

Several minutes passed in silence, Cody wasn't really aware of the passage of time as Carey sat there holding her son while he stood there watching as still as a statue. Eventually she went back out into what passed for a living room in the suite and asked him to sit and talk with her on the couch.

"I'm so glad that you guys are alright. Thank you for saving the boys," Carey eventually said aloud. Her left hand reached out and took hold of his right hand, intertwining their fingers together.

"This shouldn't be happening. It's too soon…They're not supposed to be here for a few more days yet," Cody replied wearily, leaning back into the couch and resting his head on the top of the backing so that he was looking up at the ceiling. He didn't want to look his mother in the eye for some strange reason that he couldn't explain even to himself.

"It'll be different this time Cody. You're here to protect us now and I believe in you," Hearing such a thing from his mother made Cody feel a lot better. It made him feel like there might just be hope for them yet.

"It just feels weird protecting people…I've spent my whole life as a child being protected and then all of a sudden I've been fighting for my life every day and every night."

"It never gets any easier," Carey smiled and Cody could feel it, even if he couldn't see her face. It was just a side affect of his powers, being able to sense the happiness, truthfulness and loyalty in people. "You're so big and strong now Cody, and so mature now too, it's hard for me to accept it. It's probably the same feeling you're having seeing yourself and Zack here and now like you remember in your memories."

"Yeah I guess. I really just want this living nightmare to end. If only I knew how they already found us…"

"Maybe they sensed your presence, and it helped them find us…" said a groggy voice from behind the couch. Carey released his hand and looked over her shoulder behind them.

"Oh I'm sorry honey, we didn't wake you did we?" she asked as Code came around the couch and sat down on her other side, laying his head against her shoulder.

"No I'm fine," he answered, "I was just thinking that maybe when you came here, they felt your power and thought it was us…and then when they came looking, they found Zack in the park." Cody could feel the eyes of his younger self looking at him, even if he couldn't see them as he was still staring at the ceiling. Was Code accusing him, asking him, or just speculating? In either case, his theory was highly probable. Every time he exerted his power in the ravaged future, the demons seemed to be drawn to him like moths to a flame and even when he kept his power hidden deep down within himself, they still managed to find him eventually.

"I don't know. It's possible," Cody finally answered, shifting his gaze to the floor as though it were the most interesting thing in the world at the moment.

"We're not safe here are we?" Code asked, his tone surprisingly devoid of any hint of fear.

"We're not safe anywhere. These things popped up all over the world in a matter of hours, destroyed everything in a few weeks to a couple of months and before a year had passed they wiped out most of the world's population…" Cody paused in his grim tale for a few seconds before continuing, "The safest place now is wherever we are, because only we have the power to effectively resist them."

"So what do we do now?" Code asked.

"We do what you said. We find out what we are and where our powers come from. Also, given what just happened, I think it wouldn't hurt to help you discover your powers too in case you ever have to defend yourself," Carey gave him a look that was half in agreement and half in shock that he would suggest such a thing given what had happened with Zack's first usage of his power, "Uh…small steps though, one thing at a time," he quickly added, which seemed to satisfy her.

* * *

"This sucks!" Code sighed, slapping his hands on the edge of the table and pushing himself back from it. He'd been running searches on the Internet for several hours with no luck and he was starting to grow extremely frustrated. Cody had been using Zack's laptop running searches too, but he'd taken a break to watch the news on the television.

The aftermath of last night's battle was the major headline for the local news networks which were rife with speculation about what had happened, from gas line explosions all the way to multiple lighting strikes. Cody had to admit that the damage to the skate park looked about ten times worse than he had remembered it being. It appeared as though a bomb had went off, twisting, burning and flattening everything in sight while leaving behind craters and massive cracks in the ground. He just wasn't used to seeing such damage alongside perfectly intact buildings and streets since in the future everything had been blasted apart and concern for collateral damage during demon fights was pretty much non existent.

"Come take a break from that. Let's see if we can find your power," Cody said as the news story cut to a commercial break. Carey had left the suite after lunch to entertain guests at a mid afternoon performance downstairs which provided the perfect opportunity to experiment with Code's powers.

"What do I do first?" Code asked, coming up to Cody who had stood up and met him halfway across the room. Cody gently brought his power up to the surface from deep down inside of him, but only a small amount. He didn't want to risk using too much, which would surely send up a beacon to any nearby demons.

"See if you can feel the energy I give you, and if you can, concentrate hard on it and try to hold it once I release it into you," Cody answered, placing his hard on Code's arm letting some of his power trickle into him just like he had done to Zack that morning.

"Whoa!" Code breathed in surprise, almost jerking away from him before relaxing. The first few times, the power had had an intoxicating effect on Cody…not that he had ever gotten drunk, it just was really overpowering. It felt great.

"Do you have a hold of it?"

"I…no. How do I take it?"

"Imagine the energy as if it were a firefly and then cup your hands around it gently," Cody coached; surprised that he could come up with such a good way of imagining it. The light was like a river, it couldn't be completely controlled, but if you were gentle with it, you could direct it to where you wanted it to go and even hold a small amount of it aside to release gently, rather than in a rush of destructive energies.

"Cool! I think I have it now," Code finally said at last. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, his forehead breaking out in a cool sweat. Cody let go and smiled in satisfaction as he sensed the energy bounce around inside of Code before finally settling down and radiate its power to every inch of his body.

"How do you feel?"

"Good. Really, really, good!" The contained power fluctuated slightly, almost breaking free as Code momentarily lost control over it before managing to snatch it back.

"If you're up to it, imagine that the firefly is growing bigger. Think of it as the size of say…a marble or a golf ball."

"What?"

"If you can make the energy grow, then it means that your power made it happen." Cody felt the chunk of energy grow in intensity. He was surprised that Code already had as much control as he did over his own power now that he had tapped into it. Then something went wrong. Code lost control of the energy as it grew in intensity, and Cody felt the power from his younger self rush to the surface like an erupting volcano.

Code panicked as arcs of lightning danced across his body and his eyes bulged as he tried holding back the eruption of power that he couldn't possibly control. Cody came forward and grabbed him, pushing back Code's power and absorbing every bit that had escaped into himself. Several seconds later, he felt Code's power subside as it was pushed back down into the metaphorical river that it came from.

"Ow…that really stung," Code yelped in surprise before sitting down shakily on the floor rubbing his hands all over his arms, legs and face as though trying to rid himself of an overabundance of static electricity.

"You two are like firecrackers. So much power right beneath the surface sheesh!" Cody exclaimed, sitting next to his younger self for a moment making sure that his power was indeed contained and wouldn't come bursting out again.

"Sorry…"

"No no, that was really good!" Cody said encouragingly, "You just lost control and everything came rushing out. I lost control my first few times too, you're ok."

"Oh…Hey do you always get tired after using your power?" Code asked, stifling a yawn.

"You have no idea. It's especially bad your first few times since you're not used to handling all that power. You'll burn yourself out in seconds if you're not careful."

"Then how did Zack do what did last night?" Cody felt as though he'd been punched in the stomach. He'd been wondering the exact same thing, and the last thing Zack had said to him had really freaked him out. It was almost like…

"He wasn't himself," Cody said the last part of his thought aloud, remembering the lifeless gaze in Zack's eyes as he spoke to him. Remembering the creepy feeling he'd gotten of someone else looking back at him.

* * *

Hours later, after a bit of rest and some more research, Cody and Code were torn away from their work by Zack's sudden screaming and his cries for help. Together they dropped everything that they were doing and ran into the bedroom, one behind the other.

"It's him! He's here, right now, right there!" Zack screamed, pointing at Cody and trying to move as far away as possible from him which wasn't very far in the bed he'd been sleeping on moments earlier. Code came forward and sat down by his brother's side, attempting to comfort him. Zack glanced at him momentarily before returning a wary gaze back to Cody.

"It's ok Zack, this is just…" Code was gesturing to Cody as Zack cut him off.

"I know who he is! He told me!" Zack jerked sideways, his eyes darting in the opposite direction as though staring at something, "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"What's bothering you Zack?" Cody asked, leveling his gaze with his younger brother's wide eyed look of panic.

"Can't you see it? Can't you feel it? It says it wants to help! It tells me all about these demon things, and these children of the light who are supposed to stop them…Make it stop!"

"It'll be ok Zack, you're safe now. Nothing will hurt you. You just need to rest some more," Code was almost on the verge of tears, seeing his brother in such a delirious and crazed state of mind.

"I'm not crazy damn it!" Zack cursed, lying back down normally in his bed. His eyes fluttered closed and the tension in his body vanished. "He made me do it…he's the one who did it all."

With that final sentence, the outburst was over and Zack was once again claimed by unconsciousness. Cody and Code watched him sleep for a moment before looking at each other.

"Children of the light?" Code asked curiously, his lips silently moving as he recalled something he'd read. He tore out of the bedroom and sat back down at the table with his laptop. Cody watched his younger self go, sadness filling his heart. This was all his fault, and he'd caused so much suffering amongst the very people he'd intended to protect that he might as well be a demon himself.

* * *

"No one knows when exactly when it all started, but over a thousand years ago the realm of the chaos demons intersected the realm of mortals and for a short while it was literally hell on earth." Code read aloud from the webpage he had stumbled on earlier. His eyes flicked back and forth rapidly as he sped up, clearly thinking that he was onto something. He continued reading without pause or interruption.

"Where the greatest warriors of the day failed, children barely crossing over into adulthood succeed in driving back the demon nightmare that had been unleashed upon the world. They were only victorious because each possessed a pure soul, they could not be turned from the light and the good in their hearts empowered them beyond the demon lord's wildest dreams."

"The leader of the children made the ultimate sacrifice and brought the demon lord crashing back down into the depths of the demon realm where he became trapped as the remaining children sealed the gateway to the mortal realm moments later. Such heroic actions from the pure soul of a child allowed the mortal leader to transcend the physical in the afterlife and become the immortal godlike protector of the mortal realm. He stands vigilant over the world, ready to take up the fight should the demon lord ever cross over again."

"Meanwhile, the souls of the three surviving children were granted immortality and when their mortal bodies eventually perished, they could be reborn into new ones. The intent behind this was to keep the three pure souls walking the mortal world, their presence helping to keep the gateway to the demon realm sealed and should it ever be breached, they would be the first line of defense against a demon incursion."

"The Children of the Light, as they later became known…Two of the souls travel together always. They enter the mortal world together at the same time, almost always as brothers or sisters. When their mortal bodies die, they leave the world together for a time, only to return again and begin life anew. Should one of the children die, that soul will remain behind until its companion joins it before they can move on to the next mortal life."

"The remaining soul is usually an opposite of the other two, but opposites attract. Fate will keep them close to each other, but not too close. Only when all three are united together is the power of the light strong enough to fight the demon realm in its entirety and only then can the gateway to the demon realm be re-sealed should it ever be breached."

"The realm of mortal man is at its most dangerous level of weakness whenever the children's mortal bodies have died. This holds true because the souls will not return to a state powerful enough to resist the demons until their mortal bodies age closer to where their original bodies were on the day they defeated the demon lord and his minions. Should any of the children's bodies die while the demon lord tries to return to the mortal world, the power of the light will falter and it will fail to resist the ensuing darkness…"

"This stuff is nuts," Code said a moment after he'd finished, letting it all sink in.

"There's nothing in history that even remotely sounds like that…" Cody agreed, re-reading the part about the two souls who travel together over his younger self's shoulder. Something about that line seemed to deeply bother him.

"That we know about anyway," Code countered, looking around the webpage for links to more information. Unfortunately there weren't any.

"Time is running out. You have to find the other one before it's too late," a familiar voice said. A chill ran down Cody's spine as he spun around to find Zack standing several feel outside of the bedroom. Something was wrong with him though. His pupils were dilated and the lifeless gaze had returned to his entire face. Once more Cody had the feeling that another person was looking upon him from behind his brother's eyes.

"Are you ok Zack?" Code asked, moving towards him. Cody reached out and held him back. Something really weird was going on here.

"That's not Zack!"

"What if it was Zack?" Zack asked, taking a step towards them, his lifeless eyes flicking back and forth between them. "The Children of the Light…two of the souls travel together always. They enter the mortal world together at the same time, almost always as brothers or sisters. When their mortal bodies die, they leave the world together for a time, only to return again and begin life anew. Should one of the children die, that soul will remain behind until its companion joins it before they can move on to the next mortal life." Zack recited what Code had just said a minute earlier perfectly, "Isn't that what he said?" he asked, pointing at Code.

"We don't even know if that legend is true…" Cody argued weakly for the legend seemed to explain a great deal even if it nothing like it had ever been recorded in human history. A gentle tug played across Zack's lips, as though he were trying to smile.

"Oh it's true alright…" Zack paused for a second and then moved forward again to stand directly in front of Cody, his lifeless eyes staring directly into Cody's, "I told you to remember me, and you did. I've been with you since the day I died…"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hope you liked Chapter 5! Zack may have died in the future, but his soul persisted on since it is eternally bound to Cody's. When Cody returned to the past, it was future Zack's soul which was able to take control of Zack's body in the skate park, having learned to control the power of the light from Cody's battles in the future, and defend everyone and everything he loved. Part of the mystery may have been solved, but more questions have arisen. Cody's dream about the demon lord, something he'd never experienced in his own time. What about the third child? The soul is usually an opposite of the other two, but opposites attract. Fate will keep them close to each other, but not too close. Only when all three are together can the gateway to the demon realm be re-sealed.

Let me know if you liked this Chapter, it was a bit of a rest/recovery/discovery type following the action of the last one. Any speculations on what's going to happen next or guesses as to who the third soul is? Until next time, thanks for reading and peace out!

**Coming Up: Chapter 6: "Breaking The Rules"**

"Those we love will never truly leave us so long as we remember them," goes the age old saying, and that's true for Cody now that the soul of his dead brother has arisen to help fight back against the demons. The third child must be found before it's too late, because as the demon lord said 'they are all weak now'. The gateway to the demon realm must be found and a plan created to seal it shut once more. There is much to be done, and yet there is not much time left. The seventh of September quickly approaches and the demons may not wait till then to begin bringing down the realm of the mortals now that the ancient rules have been broken.


	6. Breaking the rules

**Chapter 6**

**"Breaking The Rules"**

_I used to be a little boy  
So old in my shoes  
And what I choose is my voice  
What's a boy supposed to do?  
The killer in me is the killer in you_

_"Disarm" by Smashing Pumpkins_

Once again Cody Martin was lying asleep in his old bedroom in the early morning hours dreaming of things that he couldn't begin to explain how his unconscious mind had conjured them up. He rolled over onto his other side as a deep sense of dread and hopelessness filled him…

Cody found himself standing on the corner of a busy intersection somewhere in a city. He didn't recognize any of the buildings around him. People passed all around him, but none took any notice of him. It was early in the morning wherever he was, the sun just barely peeking out above the horizon. It seemed like a normal morning with everyone around him headed to work, meetings or running errands.

Abruptly though, the hordes of people seemed to vanish. They were still around, it just seemed that they were avoiding the area around where Cody stood. He began to feel apprehensive and afraid, something strange was going on.

Think black smoke appeared in the middle of the intersection, curling around itself and growing bigger until there was a thick haze several feet tall and wide. A man emerged from the smoke, dressed in a black business suit and tie. He was young, maybe only twenty six years old, and he appeared very well groomed. The man was clean shaven, his short black hair was neatly gelled back and there was not a wrinkle in his crispy pressed suit. Cody didn't like this person, he could feel it deep down inside of himself that this man was pure evil despite his normal appearance.

From further down the road there came a series of bright flashes before a tear of light appeared floating several inches above the ground. Cody could feel himself being gently tugged towards the tear. Whatever it was, it was made out of the power of the light and it was incredibly strong. The businessman smirked, folded his arms across his chest and watched in silence.

A boy emerged from the light tear, he looked like he was barely older than Zack and Code. He was dressed in ancient looking armor, like what you would see out of the middle ages, except that it was far more extravagant looking. The armor was the most incredible shade of red Cody had ever seen, sort of like how the sun looks at times when it is setting out over the ocean on a cloudy day, with incredible gold accents. He had a sword in its hilt slung across his back with a shield resting on top of it. The boy's short golden hair whipped back as a powerful aura of light surrounded him, washing out even the light of the sun pouring onto the street. However, no amount of the light from his aura seemed to reach the business man as most of it faded the closer it got to him.

"Lord Guardian Taschen. Protector of the Mortal Realm and Keeper of the Light. I'm honored!" the businessman greeted the boy sarcastically.

"Demon Lord Ashani. Ruler of the Chaos Realm and Bringer of Darkness. You are not welcome here. Leave immediately." Taschen said firmly, his tone brooking no argument. Cody's mind was on full overdrive, trying to remember if there was anything in the legend of the Children of Light about these two people standing before him. He thought there had been something mentioned about a demon lord, but he couldn't think of anything about a Lord Guardian…He seemed very familiar though, almost as if Cody should know him and the fact that he didn't was completely odd.

"I may travel where I please young Taschen. Especially now that the ancient rules have been broken and our agreement is no longer binding," Ashani countered, a wicked grin on his face. The face and the dark cruel eyes were really a frightening think to look at. Taschen seemed downright surprised at this news, but he quickly recovered.

"I was not aware of any such rule breaking. Explain yourself filth!" Ashani scowled at the insult, but seemed to be enjoying himself too much to insult the boy back.

"You were allowed three pure souls to use against me, to keep my realm from invading yours. Now, at the very moment the Chaos Realm is strong enough to enter the Mortal Realm and your pathetic children are still weak after having been reborn from our last impressive battle sixteen years ago YOU bring two more souls to fight against me. Two incredibly powerful souls, far greater in strength than the other three in our previous battle, almost as powerful as you were on the day I killed you and you became a god." Ashani accused, his tone growing angrier by the word and his final sentence slowing down enough that he made sure each word was laden with malice.

I only have the three souls here in the mortal realm, no more, no less. The rules are not broken. I have no idea what you're talking about," Taschen replied. Cody could have sworn that he had rolled his eyes at the demon lord, almost as though the boy tired of the long speeches.

"I'm sure you don't," Ashani mocked, "However, I am a gracious Demon Lord and I will allow you to have some time to figure it out. Hundreds of my minions have already been destroyed and my efforts to break through have been slowed because of your rule breaking Taschen. Don't forget that, because I am far from done here." Ashani turned to leave, heading back towards his smoke, but paused just before he left and pointed at Cody, "Why don't you start by asking him?

Ashani vanished into the smoke and Taschen jerked his head in Cody's direction, electricity dancing behind his icy blue eyes which were staring at him in annoyance. Cody tried to speak, tried to explain, but his voice just wouldn't work. Everything suddenly grew brighter, white light drowning out everything else until Cody could see nothing except for the Lord Guardian standing before him. Then, even Taschen disappeared into the light and Cody suddenly felt lightheaded and he collapsed unconscious.

* * *

Cody came back to consciousness, albeit still asleep in the real world, what felt like a few minutes later. He was lying on a cold hard marble floor and when he looked up, there was nothing to be seen in every direction. Shakily getting to his feet Cody took in the fact that wherever he was, there was absolutely nothing there. As far as the eye could see was just an empty void awash in bright white light. There were no sounds either except for his own breathing.

It took a moment before Cody noticed that there was someone standing beside him. The young man off to his left was about the same height as him, dressed in khaki pants and a black t-shirt. He looked incredibly normal except for the fact that his short platinum blond hair almost looked like it was made out of metal, it just looked sharp and gleamed dangerously in the brilliant white light that surrounded them. Turning to face Cody, the young man smiled warmly at him and Cody felt happiness flood through him.

"Hey little brother!" Zack greeted warmly before coming forward and embracing Cody. He pushed all the doubts and questions assaulting his mind aside and returned the hug. Despite being dead and appearing differently now, Zack felt very real to him and god how he'd missed his brother.

"Is it really you Zack?" Cody asked, trembling slightly on the verge of crying. He wanted his brother back so badly it hurt him greatly.

"It's me. Even after I died, I never left you," His brother replied in a gentle reassuring tone. Cody couldn't hold back any more and for the first time in many months he started crying in a mixture of sadness and happiness.

"I'm so sorry Zack, I tried to save you. It's my fault that you died." Cody sobbed, feeling Zack's hand gently rubbing his back in a soothing gesture.

"Shhh, Cody. It's not your fault. I made my choice, and I don't regret it. Just be happy that we are together again." Zack pushed him away and held him by the shoulders, grinning happily.

"I am happy to have you back. I've missed you so much Zack." Cody suddenly became aware of someone approaching them. It was the boy again, Lord Guardian Taschen as the Demon Lord had called him. He was still dressed in his full red and gold battle armor, sans the helmet. Blue white lighting danced within his blue eyes as he looked them over and Cody could feel the raw power of Taschen radiating off of him in waves. Whoever the Lord Guardian was, he was extremely powerful and probably not someone you'd want on your bad side Cody thought, eying the boy's sword which looked remarkably similar to the one that he could summon at will.

"Ashani was right. There are five Children of the Light here, four who walk the mortal realm and one who is displaced…explain yourselves before I decide to destroy you for unbalancing the forces of light and dark." Taschen breathed angrily, without preamble or introduction.

"Uh…my brother and I are from the future Sir. We came back through time to stop the Chaos Demons," Cody blurted out the truth, it flowed so easily from his tongue in the presence of the Lord Guardian, who was also the Keeper of the Light if Ashani was to be believed. His very presence instilled truth and honesty to an unimaginable degree, much like Cody's did to normal people.

"I find it hard to believe that mere mortal's could breach the Realm of Time to come here…Continue." Taschen commanded, his icy eyes studying the brothers', as though he were gauging their strength just by looking at them.

"That's pretty much it sir. Two years from now in my time, everyone is dead and gone, the demons rule the world. The Children of the Light are all dead…except for me." Taschen crossed his arms and said nothing for a moment, his face twitching in annoyance, though this time Cody definitely could sense that it was not directed at them for once.

"That is not possible!" the Lord Guardian finally stated.

"Believe…" Zack whispered, and before Cody knew what his brother was doing, he unleashed his raw power of the light. Around his body pearly white armor exactly like Taschen's sprang around him accented in gold as well. Zack looked simply incredible, his razor sharp platinum blond hair flowing gently behind him buffeted by his near blinding aura of white like, reflecting off of his newfound armor.

"I am Zachary Martin, the White Knight and Vanguard of the Light. You will believe us Lord Taschen, or your Realm will perish." Cody was speechless…Zack was so powerful and he seemed to possess a lot more knowledge on what was going on than what he should. What was he talking about?

"Very well White Knight, I will believe you. I assume this is your partner soul?" Zack simply nodded and Taschen's gaze turned on Cody, seeming to drill a hole right through him, "Well let's see it then."

Cody brought his power of the light to the surface, but somehow even at its peak of strength it felt so incredibly weak next to Zack's energy and that of Taschen's, whose very effort of holding his own powers back made him radiate incredible energy. Zack reached over and took his hand, the white gauntlet dissolving away so their flesh touched directly.

"Let it all go Cody. Your control is holding you back, you can handle it now. You're ready and I'll be here for you," Zack instructed, his energy attracting Cody's, pulling on the stopper as it were that held back Cody's true potential. He'd known it was there for at least a year, but he'd always been afraid of the damage that such power could cause… "Cody. Let. It. Go." Zack emphasized each word, his confident voice filling Cody with a sudden strength and bravery. So he let go of his control over his powers, just like that.

Golden light exploded all around him, his aura expanded and flared brightly, competing with Zack's light. The power rushed through him so fast and there was so much of it, but Cody soon realized that he could handle it. Now he really couldn't control it so much as he could direct it. The warmth of his newly empowered aura was suddenly dampened as he felt a cool wetness envelop him from the neck down, it felt like being covered in gel, and he realized with a start that it was his own version of ancient armor appearing. It was the color of the sun, edged in black and everything reflected off of its' perfectly polished surface. The last thing to happen was Excalibur appearing at his left side in its sheath attached to his waist, the blade resting against his armored leg.

"Cody Martin the Truth Seeker and Reclaimer of the Light," Zack said with a proud smile on his face as though introducing him to the Lord Guardian. Cody's head was spinning…all these new powers, the armor, the titles and being in the presence of a god was too much to take in. His mind was in a traffic jam, thought processing slowed to a crawl and his current perception of everything going on around him was like that of a person living life in a permanent daze. He knew that something was wrong with him, but he could never figure it out…

"This presents a problem, but also a great opportunity," Taschen said, clearly having an inner struggle about what they should do next, "So now Zachary Martin the White Knight and Cody Martin the Truth Seeker exist in this realm twice…"

"The rules are truly broken Sir. We have unbalanced the light and now Lord Ashani can enter the mortal realm. When the gateway is broken open and both he and his hordes of demons pour into the world…humankind won't have a chance…" Taschen nodded grimly with Zack's assessment.

"It is unlikely that Ashani would abide by the rules if I were to destroy you both, so therefore you must fight him as I am unable to interfere." Cody felt a twinge of icy fear pass through him…that this god was thinking about killing them off to balance the scales between light and dark when he'd come back in time to save the world from total destruction…

"So what is it you want us to do?" Cody demanded, a small amount of anger creeping into his voice. He'd come to save the world and now he was being ordered around by an all powerful god who was supposedly the guardian of said world but could do nothing to protect it. How could someone so powerful be so weak? Taschen's eyes narrowed slightly as though he caught the tone in Cody's voice.

"Find the third child. The three souls from this time are still too weak to do much. You must do what you can for them, to get them ready. They must seal the gateway, and if necessary push back the demon hordes escaping from it."

"But can't we do that?" Cody's anger intensified…would Taschen not tell them the identity of the third child or where the gateway was? Could he do nothing more than tell stories and make plans for them to carry out?

Taschen turned and walked away from them, fading into the light. His voice could be heard then, distant but still booming with strength, "No you cannot. You two must fight Ashani…or die trying."

* * *

Cody sat bolt upright in his old bedroom, his clothes clinging to his body from the cold sweat that had drenched him. He was breathing heavily, as though he'd just run several miles and his body felt worn out like it normally did when he exerted his powers. It wasn't real though…everything he'd dreamed about wasn't real. He'd been asleep here the whole time! He hadn't seen the Demon Lord appear in New York, nor the boy Taschen confront him. He hadn't really been reunited with his dead brother or unleashed his true powers…It wasn't real, it wasn't real…

"It wasn't real…" Cody whispered, staring at his trembling hands which he could just barely see in the dim early morning light coming in through the window. There was the sound of movement nearby and he looked over to see Zack sitting up in his bed looking back at him. Even in the dim light Cody could see the lifelessness in his eyes. Future Zack was possessing him once again.

"It was real Cody, as real as it gets for us. We don't have much time…" Zack trailed off, his head turning to look at the bedroom door, though Cody had the strangest sense that he was looking beyond it at something else. Zack climbed out of bed and made his way to the door with Cody trailing behind.

From the living room there came the sound of someone or something pounding on the suite door. Panic shot through Cody, flashbacks of the door flying off its' hinges and a horde of demons rushing through it to slaughter his mother first before killing Zack next racing through his mind. It was happening again dammit! Everything he'd worked to prevent was starting once more…He started to draw upon his power once more, he wouldn't let his family be killed again, but Zack glanced back at him and shook his head in a negative gesture; his own power remaining dormant inside of him.

"Wuzz goin on?" Code muttered, propping himself up on his elbows in bed, looking at both of them with a sleep induced stupid expression on his face. After not getting an answer, he got up and followed them out into the living room where Carey stood against the wall farthest from the door, a cell phone clutched in her hands ready to call for help.

"Is it them?" Mom asked, a horrified look on her face.

"I don't know," Zack replied tonelessly, creeping towards the door. The pounding continued once more, and then they all heard a voice, begging them to open the door. The voice was so familiar, but Cody had forgotten a lot of the simple things over the years. Who was it? He racked his brains as Zack's hand unlocked the door and pulled it open.

A young woman burst through the door and nearly collapsed into Zack, who gently grabbed her and returned the embrace that she started. Her lightly tanned skin seemed to be glowing softly, radiating a calm blue light. Cody's eyebrows shot up as he realized that this was the third child…finding her seemed all too easy.

She clutched Zack, holding him tight as though she never wanted to let him go, her face pressed against his chest sobbing into it. Her whole body was shaking from her crying…Cody felt a pang of dread pass through him. Something terrible had happened.

"Th…they're…dea…dead. M-mom…an…and…da…dadd…:" she stuttered, barely able to talk, "The…m-monsters…k…killed…them."

"You're safe now. You're safe." Zack soothed her, and it was then Cody noticed that his brother had returned to normal without anyone noticing. His eyes were a lively shade of blue-green once more and there was concern written clear as day across his face. He gently stroked his right hand through her hair in a soothing gesture. It was a strange sight to see, as he'd been causing mayhem just days before and now here he was being so serious and protective. Zack turned his head slightly to meet Cody's gaze, making sure their eyes met before talking to him.

"She's the third one Cody."

"Yeah, I can feel it."

"We're running out of time bro…"

* * *

**Author's Note: **Cliffhanger hah! That'll teach you not to review =P I could give you clues to follow, and if you remember a lot about the Suite Life you'd figure it out in a heart beat…but that would ruin the surprise.

Alright…so we've got the Demon Lord walking the Earth, which is something that didn't happen in Cody's future. Will he and Zack be able to stop Ashani or will they fall before his awesome power, dooming the world once again to death and darkness? What is the Lord Guardian's role in all of this if he is forbidden to directly aid mankind in it's darkest hour? Will Code be powerful enough to make a difference in the coming battle? Who is the third child and how powerful is she?

Many questions and only time till release the answers. But as Zack likes to point out, "We're running out of time," as September 7th draws nearer and the end of the world begins. The final battle is not far off…

**Coming Up:** Chapter 7: "The Calm Before the Storm"

Pretty much summed it up in the A/N. Our hero's have a lot of work to do with little time left before the final battle. They have to be ready, or the world will end once more.

What will become of our hero's? Who will live? Who will die…?


	7. Come What May

**Chapter 7**

"**Come What May"**

_There is so much at stake;  
I stumble I lose my place  
Pride and arrogance surrounded by sin  
Destiny takes its hold  
Fight it or let it go;  
But I choose how today will end_

"_Becoming the Bull" by Atreyu_

"I will die to protect them. I care about nothing else than seeing them living. I will never give up, not even with my dying breath. Zack, Cody, Mom and Dad must survive. I could not live with myself if I fail them again. My path is clear now. I will not fail."

- Thoughts of Cody Martin, the Truth Seeker and Reclaimer of the Light

* * *

The floor beneath Cody's feet swayed and nearly sent him sprawling into it. Instead of crashing face first he managed to bounce himself off the wall and continue charging down the hallway on the twenty third floor of the Tipton hotel. Horrible screams were coming from further down the hall as several orcs knocked down doors and attacked the occupants of the rooms behind them. Cody unsheathed Excalibur from his side, he was already fully powered up into his ultimate form with his golden armor completely protecting every part of his body except his head, and drew the weapon back. He released the tension in his arm and slammed the magical blade down into the back of the closest orc. Green ichor sprayed in all directions before the monster burst into smoke, somehow none of the carnage was able to mar the deadly beauty of his plate armor.

Cody fought like he was possessed, his mind had shut out all nonessential things leaving him a pure killing machine. Excalibur flashed again and again, cutting down orcs from behind and then head on as the element of surprise was lost. He rotated his left arm behind him in a specific gesture which unhooked his new shield from where it was anchored to his back and quickly slipped the holding straps around his forearm. He was just in time as he blocked an axe blow that was aimed at his head, the crude demon weapon bouncing harmlessly off the magical shield. Cody cut him down with a quick swipe and then rotated his shield around in a half spin, slamming it into two other orcs and sending them flying backwards as he readied his sword for another attack.

Normally Cody would have easily blasted these demons into oblivion with his ability to manipulate light energy into destructive beams and pulses, but he didn't want to risk harming innocent people with a stray or overly powerful blast. He glanced behind him as the orcs in front regrouped for an attack to make sure his family was safe. Another group of orcs was charging down the hall towards the Martin's suite from the other end of the hallway. Crap! Cody froze momentarily…suddenly feeling powerless to save his family.

Zack and Code suddenly appeared in the hall and turned to face the other group of demons rushing headlong into them. They stood side by side together and their aura's surrounded them. In an instant they began sending lances of light down the hallway. The bright beams of light screamed across the gap between them and the orcs and impaled the onrushing demons, cutting them down and continuing on to blast chunks out of the exterior wall. The two boys continued their well aimed assault and managed to throw the demons back. As Cody turned back to finish off the rest of the orcs on his side, he couldn't help but feel a sense of wonderment. His younger self was already so powerful and in control, and then just now he was seeing Zack use his own powers to fight back without the aid of Cody's dead brother. They were incredible.

The Tipton shook violently again and this time Cody did fall down. He managed to get up on one knee before realized the danger he was in. And orc stood towering above him, ready to bring its axe down on his unprotected head. Without thinking Cody swiped Excalibur across the orc's legs, sending the demon crashing backward onto the floor. In the blink of an eye Cody reversed his grip on the sword and slammed the point into the orcs chest. The demon howled, pure rage written across its face and a cold hatred in the look it gave him before it burst into dust. That left one more demon to kill. The orc charged down the hallway, and though Excalibur was not designed for it, Cody threw the sword down the hall like spear which slammed into the orc with so much kinetic energy that it took him down hard. The whole thing reminded him of a scene in the movie three hundred where Leonidas did the same thing to an unsuspecting Persian slave warrior at the battle of Thermopylae.

Memories quickly flashed through his mind, a chaotic fusillade of noise and images, and he saw some of his previous lives. He'd always been a brilliant warrior king or powerful leader of men through the ages. It was a lot to take in. It was a lot to live up too…and yet never before since his first life as the warrior child who stood by Taschen's side as they defeated the demon lord ages ago had he had such incredible powers.

* * *

Cody charged up the Tipton's main stairwell and smashed his shield into the locked roof access door when he reached the top, his strength infused by the light allowed him to rip it off of its hinges. His heart was pounding in his chest, partly from the exertion of the fight in the hallway below and partly from fear. He'd always run from the demon dragons, hiding among the rubble of destroyed buildings until they'd passed, knowing that his limited power was insufficient to combat such a powerful creature. Times had changed though, and now he was more confident in his abilities.

Scanning the cloudy skies, Cody quickly located the tell tale shape of the beast harassing the hotel. It was currently flying away from him, preparing to turn around and make another pass. He rose from the roof of the hotel, slowly rising several dozen feet above where he'd just been. A blast of cold wind kissed his face and ran though his hair like a mother's hand showing her child the love she had for him that she could never truly make him feel. Thinking of his own mother, both the one he'd grown up with and the one here in the past gave him strength and a clarity he hadn't had before. He was ready for this.

The dragon rushed forward at Cody, feeling the power of the light emanating from him, and opened its jaws wide unleashing a blistering hot stream of flame right at him. Cody swung out his magical shield in front of him and though it was only half as long as he was tall, he knew that it would protect him entirely. He braced himself against the impact of the flames which pushed him backwards through the air, the flames rushing past him on either side as the shield deflected the blast around him.

Rotating the shield back to his side, Cody unleashed a powerful lance of light which struck the dragon's underbelly. The beam fractured the moment it hit the hardened scales, the remnants of energy scattering in all directions. He hadn't been prepared for that to happen and his hesitation cost him as the dragon slammed into him head first. The impact knocked the wind out of him and sent him flying backwards. He fell from the sky as he lost his concentration and plummeted towards the streets below.

Without warning the dragon snatched him up in one its powerful claws and swung him back around towards the Tipton. Cody struggled weakly against its strong grip, gasping for air as he did so. The dragon slammed him into the rooftop of the hotel, the weight of the creature threatening to crush him with only his magically reinforced armor preventing it from happening. His vision became tinged with red, his lungs burning for air and his body fighting desperately to stay alive under the crushing weight of the dragon. Cody reached for his Excalibur, but he couldn't get at it properly with one of the dragon's claws gripping him around his midsection. Instead he focused on the weapon and it materialized in his hand as it had always done before in the future. He plunged the blade into the bottom of the dragon's scaly green leg.

Black blood ran down the hilt of Excalibur and washed over Cody's gauntlet. The golden armor started smoking where the blood touched it and he felt the lower part of his arm heat up to a blazing intensity. As the dragon released him, roaring in agony, Cody sucked down a few breaths of air and flailed his arm around trying to get the bulk of the blood off of his armor. He winced in pain and rolled over to get up on all fours.

After a mad fit of coughing, Cody stood up to face the monster which had fled to the skies once more. It was howling in rage and agony as it circled several dozen feet above him. Another jet of fire blasted towards him, but he managed to dive out of the way coming out of his roll into a leap that catapulted him into the air.

Cody Martin charged towards the dragon, most powerful of all the chaos demons, without fear in his heart for he now knew how to beat it. Ancient memories had surfaced in that moment when he had almost been crushed to death…His light had bounced off the dragon because it was actually a creature from the Earth Realm, though it had been long ago brought into the service of the Chaos Realm, and it had to be killed with mortal weapons including those infused with mortal magic.

The dragon roared again and zeroed in on Cody, ready to slam into him once more or snap him up in its powerful jaws. At the last possible second Cody flipped himself over the dragon while turning around in a graceful spin that landed him on the creatures back. He held on to the demon by digging the fingertips of his gauntlets into its scales, drawing more black blood which scorched his armor. Cody ignored the pain as he pulled himself along towards the beast's head, which was trying to snap at him but couldn't quite manage it, even as it flipped over and shook itself wildly trying to get him to fall off. He locked his legs around its scaly neck, used his left hand to steady himself and drew Excalibur in his right. Cody plunged the sword into the dragon's head, wincing as its dying screams became so high pitched that it caused physical pain.

He let go completely, but kept himself in the air as the dragon's corpse dropped away from him and plunged towards the streets below. Excalibur rode down with the beast about halfway before bursting into light and reforming itself in its sheath attached to Cody's armor. By sheer dumb luck the dragon managed to slam into an intersection that was clear of traffic for the moment, creating a sizable crater in the ground. Mass chaos ensued below, but Cody didn't care. He was alive and he had beaten the powerful demon. He breathed a sight of relief…it was over.

"Oh it's not over yet!" a familiar voice whispered in his ear, sending chills down his spine. He knew that particular voice from the dreams…

Thick dark smoke appeared out of nowhere and surrounded Cody, and try as he might he couldn't break free of it. It clung to him, draining him of his strength and will to fight. The smoke accelerated him downward and for the second time Cody slammed into the roof of the Tipton hotel, his breath knocked out of him again. As suddenly as it had surrounded him, the smoke drifted away from him and out of it stepped a familiar man. It was the same man he'd seen in his dreams talking to Taschen. It was none other than Ashani, Lord of the Chaos Realm, completely real this time.

Ashani was no longer wearing a business suit as before. Now he was clad in a rougher looking version of armor than what the Children of the Light wore which was so black that it seemed to absorb all light into its empty vastness. It was nothing like the graceful beauty of the armor worn by Taschen, Cody and Zack. No, this armor had seen far too many battles and had been the last thing far too many innocent souls and realms had seen before he claimed them as his own.

"You bastard! Always you interfering! No longer," Ashani held his hand out over Cody's fallen form, palm facing down, a shadowy ball of negative energy giving off violent red sparks forming in his hand. There was the sound of a sonic boom that made Cody's eardrums pop, making him hear a loud ringing in his mind, and he felt a rush of air was over him. Was he dead? It didn't hurt…

Ashani rocketed backwards and slammed into the nearby St. Mark hotel, shattering windows and smashing through brick walls and iron support beams. He was momentarily swallowed up by the dust and debris raining down on him.

Lord Guardian Taschen seemed to appear out of thin air at the same time the Demon Lord has smashed into the building, looking as though he had just rammed him with his shoulder. Indeed, his right shoulder pauldron was dented.

Thick black smoke appeared before Taschen and resolved itself into an enraged looking Ashani. There was murder in his eyes. He wanted blood. Ashani walked towards Earth's godlike protector, but was pushed back by Taschen's red aura of light.

"It is not time yet Ashani. You will not violate our agreement further." It was so weird seeing a young teenager, like how he'd looked a few years ago, standing up to this imposing man who was taller, bigger and more fearsome looking. Ashani sneered at Taschen and exploded into smoke. Before he vanished though, he spoke one last time…

"You only have two hours left, and then your life will be forfeit. See you soon Cody Martin."

* * *

**Chapter 8: Endgame** – Cody Martin has come backwards through time, unlocked the power hidden within himself thanks to the soul of his dead brother and has now proven himself against the mightiest of all the Chaos Demons. His toughest challenge now lies ahead, a mere two hours away that will decide whether the world as we know it carries on or violently ends once again.

The odds are long, but Cody is not alone in this fight any longer. Lord Guardian Taschen may not be able to directly interfere with the coming battle, but that doesn't mean that he can't help the soul of future Zack find what he has lost. With his brother by his side to battle Ashani and the barely tested strength of the other Children of the Light left behind to seal the gateway to the Demon Realm, Cody Martin may just have a chance at saving the future of this world and preventing the horror of his time line from repeating itself.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Yeah I changed chapter names, oh well! Anyway, sorry for the delay, been busy in real life and In This Memory was taking up more of my writing time these last few days.

And yeah, the identity of the third child remains a secret. Being "close/attracted" to the other two children doesn't necessarily mean in a romantic way. It just means that they are drawn to each other physically, as in where they live, but otherwise remain blissfully unaware of the true nature of each other. No one's guessed her correctly yet =) London, despite becoming a better person, is too heartless to be a Child of the Light. Maddie is much older than the twins, but regardless she's eagerly moved away to college. Can't be her either.

Stay tuned, the end is near.


	8. Endgame

**Chapter 8**

**Endgame**

"The past. The present. The future? Aren't they all one in the same? How am I able to prevent the world from ending if by my own actions the ending never takes place to begin with? How did I get here and where do I go from here? When this is all over what happens to me? Do I continue living out of time in a place that is not really my home or do I just fade away into nothingness, never remembered and never cared about? Will what I'm doing even make a difference?" – Cody Martin (Future)

The Tipton's immaculate lobby was unusually devoid of people at this time of day. Outside the wailing sirens of emergency vehicles could be heard nearby, surrounding the impact crater that the Dragon Cody had battled earlier had made at the intersection by Paul Revere's Mini Mart. There was a sinister cloud of grey dust floating through the streets, mostly just particles of concrete thrown into the air upon impact and dust kicked up by the overpressure.

Only a small group of people remained inside and they were the ones directly responsible for combating the earlier chaos on the upper floors and the nightmarish creature lying dead on the ground outside. Cody, now back in his normal form, studied the girl sitting on the couch across from him. If his suspicions were right, and he seriously believed that they were, the twins' old friend Max was the third child that they had been seeking. With the three young light children together, they might stand a chance at holding back the coming darkness while Cody fought Ashani.

There was a nagging fear in the back of Cody's mind though. Fighting the Chaos Demons was one thing, something he had plenty of experience doing and a lot of confidence in his abilities, but fighting the Demon Lord himself? He had no illusions that Ashani was weak, after having seen Lord Guardian Taschen fend him off, and therefore was worried that he might not be able to stand a chance against him.

"I'll do it. I'll help you," Max said softly, her voice thick with sadness over the loss of her parents. Her brown hair fell alongside her face hiding the tears streaking their way down her lovely face.

"Thank you. We'll need all the help we can get to keep the Demons from doing this to anyone else Max," Cody replied softly, glad to have Max's help, but also being sympathetic to her feelings. He was always trying to cheer people up it seemed.

"I'm just not sure how much help I can be…"

"More than you think you can," Zack said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation of using his power again in battle, "The Codester and I just started using our powers and we did pretty good against them."

"Really?" Max asked, interested despite her grief. Although this was essentially true, Cody knew that what the boys had done was merely fight in a limited engagement where he had done most of the heavy fighting. They didn't know their limits and could easily burn themselves out if they didn't pace themselves. They also lacked the control Cody had over his power of the light and therefore their strength was far weaker than his. Zack, Code and Max would do their best though, and that was all that could be expected of them.

"So do you have a plan for fighting Ashani?" Cody jerked upright in surprise and lifted his head to look at the young man standing in the lobby just off to the side. Taschen was dressed now in normal clothes, the kind Zack would wear, with a healthy smile on his face. He was happy about something, and whatever made Earth's protector happy had to be good for them.

"I hadn't thought of anything special. I'll just have to do my best sir," Cody replied as Taschen approached them.

"I thought as much. Unfortunately your best won't be enough. I never could have defeated Ashani the first time thousands of years ago by myself. I had help."

"But sir, there is no one else…"

"I disagree. There is still help to be found in our darkest hour."

"What help is there left?"

"Think back to what I told you when we first met," Taschen answered mystically before his entire body vanished in a flash of golden light. What the hell kind of help was this? Cody was enraged now. He had hoped that the Lord Guardian would have something more for them than a few words and a puzzle to solve.

"Cody!" Zack blurted all of a sudden, standing up and looking around as if he had misplaced something, "Your brother is gone."

"What?!" He asked, standing up himself. What did Zack mean?

"When he's not using my body, he's here inside of me just lurking around. He just left..."

"He left? What the hell is going on?"

* * *

Less than two hours later, the crowd gathered around the fallen dragon was treated to a strange sight. The clear blue sky overheard suddenly filled with dark menacing clouds, casting everything in darkness. Just as they became aware of the abrupt change in the weather, the crater where the dead dragon lie suddenly caved in as it was devoured by a dark portal that seemed to absorb all light nearby. Expanding rapidly, the portal devoured the concrete street it was located in and unfortunately pulled in those people nearest to it.

With the fading screams of the fallen victims, mass panic broke out as people rushed away in all directions. Lightning from the overcast sky struck the pavement and several buildings, sending concrete and glass flying everywhere. Dozens of people were injured by the debris and several others knocked off of their feet by the tremors shaking the city around them. If any of them were asked what they thought was going on, they would have said that it was the end of the world. They weren't too far off actually…

A sinister cloud of pitch black smoke rolled out from a side street, trapping several dozen people between it and the expanding portal behind them. They hesitated, not knowing what to do. Before they could come to a decision, Demon Lord Ashani walked forward out of the dark cloud in his deadly looking black armor. He had his ebony sword held in one hand, the flat of the blade resting casually against his shoulder. There was a demonic gleam in his eye as he approached the frightened people before him. The first victims of the end of the world were about to be claimed.

Ashani raised his sword above and behind his head in a high guard stance, his laughter sending chills down the bones of every living soul within earshot of his voice. Death and destruction gave this god pleasure and he would savor every moment of it. The ebony sword emitted a banshee scream as it sliced through the air towards a defenseless man, his wife and two children. They screamed, knowing their lives were at an end.

Golden light appeared before the family just as Ashani's blade was about to slam into them. His sword abruptly stopped shot. Cody Martin, The Truth Seeker, materialized in the space between Ashani and his victims with his golden shield raised above him blocking the demon lord's weapon.

"Well, well. Cody Martin, you do not disappoint!" Ashani chuckled, withdrawing his weapon. The only thing the demon lord liked more than death and destruction was fighting a worthy opponent and toying with them before killing them.

"Get out of here!" Cody yelled at the family and the crowd behind them. They didn't need to be told twice as they all raced past. A few people, including the family, thanked him for his protection as they passed by. Ashani watched them all go by him, a hungry look on his face.

"It does not matter Child, they will be claimed soon after I kill you."

"Shut up," Cody hollered, pivoting slightly and whipping Excalibur around aiming to behead the Demon Lord. His sword collided with Ashani's as the god parried the attack. Sparks flew everywhere, lightning danced around both blades as light and dark touched and a wave of overpressure expanded outward, shattering the remaining windows of nearby buildings and parked cars.

With blinding speed, Ashani recovered and raced forward. Cody barely had time to bring up his shield and turtle behind it before the god slammed into him, knocking him off his feet and sending him flying backwards into the pavement. The breath was almost knocked out of him and his head hurt from the impact, but Cody wasn't about to give up so easily. He was back on his feet in no time, creating a shield of light around him which started to give off pulses of light which spread outward in all directions. They slammed into Ashani, hurting him and pushing him backwards.

"CODY! They're coming through!" Zack shouted from down the street where he, Code and Max stood ready to intercept any Chaos Demons from escaping into the world. He hoped that they would all make it through this alive. They could fight the demons, but only for so long.

"Hold them off as long as you can!" Cody shouted back, glancing over his shoulder to see Zack blast an emerging wraith into smoke drawing first blood.

"Right!"

The lapse in concentration was all Ashani needed to nearly surround Cody with a wall of darkness that had somehow cut through his light shield. Cody jumped back and up into the air away from it. He knew he had to be careful, not only for his own safety but because he had to keep the Demon Lord away from the younger Children of the Light behind him. Cody pummeled Ashani with lances of golden light for several seconds before bolts of red negative energy returned fire at him, forcing him to dodge around them and deflect others with his shield.

Cody landed on the opposite side of the Demon Lord and slammed Excalibur into the ground as Ashani turned around to come at him. Light raced down the pavement, sending chunks of it flying in all directions, and exploded violently as it reached its target. Cody allowed himself to feel a small twinge of hope then, thinking that he might just stand a chance at defeating Ashani. Taschen's earlier words still haunted him though, 'Unfortunately your best won't be enough…' and he could only wonder at what the Lord Guardian had meant when he told him to think back on their first meeting.

The hope that had flared briefly was extinguished as Ashani rocketed out of the explosion of light, hurt but definitely not down for the count, and whipped his sword around nearly taking off Cody's head. At the last second he somehow deflected the blow with his shield and then gasped in pain as Ashani kicked him full force in the stomach, sending him back to the ground. The blow hurt badly, even with the magical golden armor around him taking most of the impact. Before he knew it, Ashani was standing above him, one armored foot crushing his shield arm beneath it. The pain was agonizing, like a thousand scalding needles being pushed into his forearm.

Ashani laughed maniacally as he heard a snapping noise and then withdrew his foot. He relished in the agony Cody was feeling with his now dislocated arm. His shield arm felt cold and he couldn't move it except at the shoulder, and even then it hurt too badly to bear. The Demon Lord drew back his sword, readying it to stab downward into the young warrior below him. Cody didn't feel the fear he knew he should have. This was his fate and he had already accepted that he would die fighting this man.

"Get off him creep!" Ashani staggered as bolts of pure white and golden light slammed into his back, shredding his dark armor. Zack was racing toward the demon lord blasting away with wild abandon while Code sent his own attacks from further away, still guarding the gateway into the demon realm. They were trying to help…They were trying to buy Cody more time…

"FOOLS!" Ashani screamed as he turned around, whipping his free hand outward sending a pair of negative energy spheres at the younger boys. They didn't even have a chance to react. Zack and Code fell to the ground like unstrung puppets and lay still.

"NOOO!!!" Cody screamed, letting his rage consume him. He managed to roll forward, summon his sword and stab it through Ashani's thigh as the god turned around to finish him off. The Demon Lord roared in agony and hatred for the little creature inflicting the pain upon him. He brought his sword down in a sweeping motion and the ebony weapon cleaved Excalibur in half.

Cody stared in disbelief as the two pieces of his magical weapon exploded into light, his ears popping from the loud noise it made. Ashani recovered and paused, looking down on the helpless Child of the Light, the strongest of all the souls on this world he would come to conquer. With Taschen unable to interfere and Cody gone, there would be no one left to stop him.

This was the end. He'd failed... Ashani and his demons were invading the world once more… Zack and Code were dead… Now he too would die, Cody thought grimly, watching the Demon Lord's blade come crashing down onto him.

* * *

_"What help is there left?" - Cody  
_

_"Think back to what I told you when we first met," - Taschen  
_


	9. White Knight

**Chapter 9**

"**White Knight"**

_There's somethin' wrong with the world today  
I don't know what it is  
Something's wrong with our eyes  
We're seein' things in a different way  
And God knows it ain't his  
It shore ain't no surprise  
Livin' on the edge_

"_Livin' on the edge" by Aerosmith_

As the ebony blade fell, Cody Martin's vision blurred and he became enveloped by a bright white light. The light was warm, comforting and seemed to draw him into it. Was this the afterlife? Then, as people who have had near death experiences claim, his life flashed before his eyes with some of the more memorable events being the strongest…

* * *

_**- Flash -**_

The time when Cody went off to Math camp and Zack had been so miserable without his twin brother that he'd staged a 'rescue' attempt with London and Muriel to bring him home. 'You know we will be apart someday,' Cody had told him when he'd arrived at Math camp, unwilling to leave it and come home with his brother.

_**- Flash -**_

"This isn't funny Zachary!" Carey Martin scolded her older twin son, thumbing the edges of his abysmal report card forcing herself to stay calm.

"Ooohhh Zachary!" Cody taunted his brother from just behind him.

"I am very disappointed in you…" Carey continued, turning back around to face Zack.

"Ooohhh disappointed!" Cody continued, secretly enjoying the tormenting of his brother. Zack rolled his eyes and turned around to face Cody.

"Ooohhh shut up!" Zack retorted, sneering in disgust at how his twin wouldn't back him up while talking to their mother, "But I'm trying as hard as I can!" he pleaded, turning back to face his mother, putting on his most convincing facial expression. Carey wasn't buying it as she looked down and read off the teacher's comments.

"Then why did all of your teachers write, 'Could try harder'?" She asked plainly, "I know you can do better than this…"

_**- Flash -**_

"You think she'll notice?" Zack exclaimed, looking at the broken half of London's bust he held in his hands, "Oh we are so in trouble!"

"What do you mean, 'we'?" Cody asked, placing his hands on his hips giving his brother a hard look.

"Hey, you were here, you're an accessory," Zack replied, talking with his hands while a look of disbelief overcame Cody's face.

"You're an idiot!"

"Then you're an accessory to an idiot!"

_**- Flash -**_

_**

* * *

**_The memories vanished and the gentle white light faded, and as the world around him returned to focus Cody felt far better than he had earlier. His dislocated arm didn't seem to hurt anymore and the wear and tear on his body from the previous fighting had vanished. Above him, where the falling blade of his executioner had once been was nothing but the tops of tall buildings reaching into the dark overcast sky. This didn't feel like a dream, so what was going on?

As Cody sat up, he saw the Demon Lord at the end of a furrow made by a destroyed chunk of the pavement standing inside of a small crater. It looked like he had literally been blasted backwards and had dug his feet in to come to a stop, tearing up roadway in the process. There was something behind him he sensed all of a sudden. It was a powerful presence, slightly stronger than his own. Cody turned around, not knowing what to expect and when his eyes rested on the impossible sight he became flooded with the conflicting emotions of utter shock and overpowering joy.

Floating just a few inches off the ground behind him was none other than Zachary. Not the boy of the present, but his eighteen year old brother from the future. Cody knew this because Zach looked exactly like he had in the dream where the two of them first met the Lord Guardian. He was taller than the Zack of the present, definitely older looking and an impressive sight wearing his pearly white armor accented in black and gold with his razor sharp platinum blonde hair streaked behind him. His icy blue eyes, which till now had been fixed on Ashani, warmed as they met Cody's.

"What…how…Zach?" Cody stuttered, happy to see his dead brother alive again in the flesh, but not understanding how it was possible. He'd died two years ago when the Chaos Demons broke into their world, slowing them down to give Cody a chance to escape, and from then on his soul lingered on drawn by its' partner soul which was inside of Cody. He hadn't even been aware of his dead brother's soul until coming back to the past when it started possessing the Zack of the present…

"The only help Taschen was allowed to give to us. He restored my body…sort of." Cody got to his feet, feeling an odd desire to hug his brother, to know that he was really real alive and in the flesh again. The situation however couldn't permit the dropping of their guards' as the Demon Lord approached them through the furrow of destroyed pavement, every slow step calculated to instill terror into his victims.

"How touching," Ashani mocked, his face void of all expression, "I get to kill the Martin brothers a second time!"

"Zach? Are they really…?" Cody couldn't finish asking the question as he looked back over his shoulder down the road at the fallen bodies of Zack and Code, lying still on the ground where they had been ruthlessly struck down while trying to save him. Zach just shook his head, not meeting his questioning look, and turned Cody back around with a gentle touch to the shoulder. It was a gesture that both confirmed his worst fear and told him that he didn't need to be looking at them.

"Focus on Ashani Cody. He must be stopped at all costs." Zach said firmly and resolutely. His tone told him that there was simply no other option. The words, 'At all costs,' rang in Cody's head. He'd come back to save his family from the Chaos Demons and now both Code and Zack's lives had been snuffed out. He'd failed them. He'd failed his mother. The promise to keep them safe had been broken. He knew the final battle would be dangerous…but he just didn't think it would happen like this. Tears of sorrow traced a path down his cheeks while rage as strong as primal instincts started to build deep down in his core.

"FOCUS!" Zach shouted in his face, sensing his inner turmoil. Cody balled his hands into fists, the soft material on the inside of his golden gauntlets making a crunching noise. His whole body started to shake as anger overtook his logical thought processes and raw power seemed to course through his body from head to toe. Focus on Ashani? Stop him at all costs? Cody was beyond ready to do just that as he launched himself at the Demon Lord, racing forward just inches off the ground like a guided missile.

"CODY NO!" Zach cried as he launched himself after his brother summoning Fortitude, his own magical sword not unlike Excalibur, in his right hand and rotating his own shield off of his back and into his left hand. Ashani 'caught' Cody as he crashed into him, but before the Demon Lord could react, he freed his right arm and delivered a bone shattering back hand to his head. As Ashani reeled from the powerful blow, Cody twisted free of his grasp and slammed his shield into him. Then it was Ashani's turn to move faster than Cody could react, delivering a powerful blow to the chest that sent the young warrior hurtling into the outside wall of the St. Mark hotel.

As debris rained down to the ground past the small crater Cody had made upon impact, which hadn't hurt him in the slightest merely knocking the wind out of him, Ashani became aware of Zach bearing down upon him. The Demon Lord raised his arms to block the attack just in time, pivoting back to face the other Martin twin, but wasn't counting on the power of the Fortitude. The magical sword sliced through Ashani's left arm at the bicep like a hot knife through butter. The severed portion exploded into dark smoke as its owner howled in pain. But nothing could keep the Demon Lord down for long as he drew an extreme amount of negative energy into him, preparing to release it at Zach.

Lances of golden light slammed into Ashani from the side, each attack growing in size and power as Cody launched a vicious assault to interrupt him and give his brother time to get out of harms way. Zach dodged out of the way, bringing his shield up at the last second to protect himself from the edge of Ashani's mighty blast. The trailing wake of the attack scorched the surface of Zach's shield as the beam of negative energy traveled several blocks down the road before slamming into a distant building and sending it and everything near it crashing to the ground.

A wall of grey dust raced towards them, reminding Cody of the horrible images of the September 11th tragedy when the twin towers came crashing to the ground kicking up clouds of dust, concrete particles, pieces of glass, ash and hundreds of other flying hazards. The wall of grey overtook them, though it seemed to be unable to directly touch them as though their aura's of light energy repelled it all. Cody looked around, trying to find Ashani in the artificial fog surrounding him to no avail. It was impossible to spot his pitch black armor in this mess, especially since he didn't give off an aura of light like Zach and Cody did.

The brothers drifted together, standing back to back as they looked around for the elusive Demon Lord. Even with Ashani injured, the two of them felt less safe now than they did before. The evil god was extremely powerful and both of them held no illusions that he could easily destroy them if they were to make even the slightest slip up. Something told them that they'd been extremely lucky and had benefited from the element of surprise up until now. The fight would now turn to one of raw power and decisive strategies.

Cody tensed, feeling a small measure of fear coming from his twin. He turned slightly and looked over his shoulder, seeing Zack's head turned to one side as if his eyes were trying hard to spot something in the haze around them. There was something out there. Something sinister.

Then, from seemingly all around them, Ashani's demonic laughter echoed in the confined spaces between buildings. What little light still penetrated through the overcast sky and the dusty haze caused by the collapsed buildings faded abruptly. Cody and Zach were surrounded by complete darkness encroaching upon their aura's which were the only source of light to be seen. Their aura's flickered in response to the powerful darkness surrounding them and shrunk in size, the edges of light coming closer to their armor which no longer shone brightly. Mind numbing coldness spread rapidly through the air and mist from their slow breathing could be seen.

Everything was oddly quiet and still. There was no sound or movement beyond the brothers. It was like the proverbial, 'Calm before the storm', and Cody felt certain that the storm was about to come crashing down upon their heads. He inhaled a deep breath and readied himself mentally for the coming storm just as all hell broke loose.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Zachary is alive and he's arrived just in time to help Cody battle the Demon Lord, but what is left for them by winning now that Code and Zack lie dead, Max hasn't been seen since the younger twins launched their rescue attempt that ended in their demise, and Ashani seems to be growing more powerful by the minute? Is the Demon Lord truly hurt, or is Zach's small victory just a minor scratch in the grand scheme of things? Do the future twins have the power to pull through or will they ultimately fall victim like their younger selves did? What happens next?

**Please Review!** Thanks goes out to my readers for sticking with me and this story! I'm amazed I hammered out two chapters so quickly after a long period of writer's block. Hopefully I'll have the next one done soon!

**Special Mention:** To Hurricane13 and Wynstrio who are accurately guessing the plot thus far, but it's about to go the road less traveled so no more guessing for you! Ha!

**Flashbacks From:**

Cody Goes To Camp - Season 1 TSLOZAC

Smarter and Smarterer - Season 1 TSLOZAC

Sleepover Suite - Season 3 TSLOZAC

No real motive with them, just some touching / funny scenes I happened to watch recently

**P.S.** Just to make this clear, from this chapter onward (Present Twins = Code and Zack, Future Twins = Cody and Zachary aka Zach). Don't worry, it confuses me at times too.

Peace out!


	10. The Sleeper Awakens

**Chapter 10**

**The Sleeper Awakens**

_Everyone is changing  
There's no one left that's real  
So make up your own ending  
And let me know just how you feel  
'Cause I am lost without you  
I cannot live at all  
My whole world surrounds you  
I stumble then I crawl_

_"Blurry" by Puddle of Mudd_

In the vast expanse of darkness surrounding the twin brothers Cody and Zach Martin, something moved. Or rather several something's moved. Cody could feel his brother behind him, both protecting one another and overlapping their light auras. However, even together they were unable to hold back the darkness and their light dimmed even more. There was not a sound to be heard beyond the gentle hum of their aura's and what sounded like distant whispers all around them coinciding with the movements they saw.

With a suddenness, several dark shapes launched themselves at them from both sides, wailing so loudly that their ear drums threatened to pop. Banshee's! Cody had never fought them before, but he'd heard their distant wails as they hunted down lone human survivors in the post apocalyptic future he had lived in. The very noise sent an irrational fear through him. They couldn't possibly be more powerful than the Demon Lord…

Cody swept his arm out, releasing a crescent of light that rapidly expanded and smothered the Banshee's. They vanished in a cloud of dust, their remains sailing through the air to land at the brother's feet. Zach had already disposed of the demons on the other side with barely any effort. He just had concentrated hard and formed orbs of light inside of the Banshee's which rapidly expanded to consume their entire bodies.

"This trash can't stop us!" Zach said confidently, searching the darkness for more enemies or Ashani himself. As if in response, the powerful booming roar of a dragon could be heard very close by them. Just as the brothers turned in the direction they assumed the creature was hiding, it burst out of the shadows and charged at them intent on snatching them up in its powerful jaws. Cody dived out of the way, narrowly avoiding being slashed by the razor sharp claws on its hind legs, and then executed a half roll to jump back up onto his feet.

He intended to unleash everything that he had to stop this dragon quickly, remembering the damage that the last one had caused, and hesitated as it came crashing down onto the pavement sliding to a stop. Zach had done the exact same thing Cody had done to the previous dragon. He withdrew Fortitude from the head of the beast, covered in black ichor, and jumped down off of it onto the pavement grinning at Cody.

"Piece of cake," Zach exclaimed proudly to Cody, then he turned away and called out into the darkness, "Your minions are nothing to us Ashani!"

"A few yes. But let us see how you fare against all of them. Arise my armies, and bring this world to its knees!" The ground quaked as the Demon Lord called out to his minions and a deafening roar from a sudden gust of hurricane force winds drowned out everything else. In the distance, where the gateway to the Chaos Demon's realm had been, incandescent purple and red bolts of lightning reached into the sky striking the clouds overhead. Dark clouds began to rotate in response to the lightning, almost like the forming of a tornado funnel cloud.

"This is your end!" Ashani exclaimed in victory. The gateway yawned open and Cody could feel the presence of an impossible numbers of Demons surging across the gap from their realm into Earth's. This couldn't be happening, it just couldn't!

Zach and Cody raced towards it, not knowing how to stop such an impossible number, but knowing that they had to something. Anything. They were forced to stop after just a few feet by the Demon Lord himself, appearing before them unharmed and healed from the damage dealt to him by Fortitude and Excalibur. He crossed his arms and grinned maniacally at them, almost daring them to try and get past him to the gateway.

Cody felt utterly defeated at that point. They couldn't stop the Demon Lord and now they had no way to prevent the hordes of Demons from pouring into their world. He had no idea what to do now, no options left to consider and now they were out of time. The fight seemed to leave his body as he realized this. He would continue fighting of course, but he was entirely demoralized now.

"I don't think so!" Came the shout of a familiar voice behind Ashani. Just as Cody's mind registered the fact that it was Max's voice he had heard, a brilliant star of blue light appeared in front of the Demon gateway. The light intensified so much that it washed out the color of the incandescent lightning bolts coming from the vortex and lit up the entire block. Everything which had once been shrouded in darkness was now lit by a calming blue light. Ashani spun around in disbelief. Max's power was far beyond anything that the twins had demonstrated thus far.

"Not possible…" Ashani breathed taking in the scene before he seemed to snap out of it and charged at her, sailing at impossible speed through the air. The ground stopped shaking, the lightning bolts ceased and as Ashani drew close to Max, everything seemed to grow still as if in anticipation of what would happen next.

A rounded cone of light energy, much like a type of force field, surrounded Max's right hand which was encased in a sapphire gauntlet. She too was encased in magnificent armor, just like the boys were, and it gleamed brightly in defiance of the darkness around her as she slammed her fist into the air just inches in front of the closing Demon Lord. He flew backwards and slammed into the ground, creating another crater, and then seconds later a sonic boom echoed into the distance.

"Wow…she's incredible…" Zach stated, shocked at how powerful she was for lacking any experience with her powers. Both brothers were spurred into action and they ran to join their friend. The Demon gateway closed abruptly and as the last traces of it vanished, Max's sapphire and gold armor was whisked away like smoke in a high wind and was replaced by her normal clothes. She fell to her knees, breathing heavily and clearly exhausted from the expenditure of her powers.

"Max are you ok? Cody asked, kneeling down in front of her and steadying her as she almost collapsed forward.

"It was him…" She whispered, using her arms to hold onto Cody and resting her forehead against his breastplate.

"Him?" He asked, puzzled.

"Taschen…He told me what to do…I'm so tired Cody…"

"Rest now, we'll take it from here Max." Zach said assuringly, standing up and turning to face the Demon Lord who was just now extricating himself from the impact crater. He was flaming mad, Cody could tell as he glanced over his shoulder at him. He picked up Max in his arms, surprised at how light she felt with his enhanced strength and carried her over to the side of the street where he set her down against the wall.

Zach's words inspired Cody, especially now that the gateway to the Demon Realm had been sealed. It was just them against Ashani now, in one final showdown to save the world. They were both really powerful, and together they might just have what it took to stop him. The brothers stood shoulder to shoulder, their aura's growing in intensity as they filled themselves with power and started down the cause of all their problems. But the surprises weren't over yet…

Ashani smirked at them before he transformed himself. Cody had a hard time describing what he saw. The Demon Lord's human form grew in height and completely changed into a towering monster. He was now several stories tall, his shoulders almost touching the buildings on each side and his limbs were thicker than tree trunks…

"What the hell?" Zach exclaimed, his head and eyes slowly tilting upward, following the growing Demon Lord as he grew taller and taller. Negative energy surrounded Ashani, violently coalescing around him in a swirling field of incandescent red and purple light.

"This is your end!" Ashani's voice, now a deep rumbling tone, roared. He released the negative energy. It raced towards the twins impossibly fast and overcame them before they could react.

Pain exploded across Cody's body, it was like being stabbed by thousands of knives and then being set on fire. He writhed in agony, wishing that he could die if it meant an escape from the horrible pain that he was enduring.

He wanted to die. The pain! The horrible pain!

Darkness.

* * *

**Author's Note: **The story is winding down and yes the chapters are getting shorter (mainly due to the pure action scenes leaving little room for anything else).

Please review and let me know how you like the direction the plot is taking. I think I've lost some of the writing quality that I started with, especially character development, during the action scenes. Let me know what you all think!

* * *

Max has sealed the gateway to the Demon Realm, preventing an unfathomable number of creatures from entering our world. Zach and Cody were down, but not out of the fight as they prepared themselves for the final showdown. Just before they can combat Ashani, he transforms into a powerful and massive monster that unleashes a powerful attack upon the twins. Cody is in intense pain from the attack, bringing darkness to his vision. Will he and Zachary survive or will they just become Ashani's next victims.

The war for humanity's right to exist ends in **Chapter 11: Sacrifice**


	11. Sacrifice

**Chapter 11**

**"Sacrifice"**

**For-ti-tude: (noun)**

That strength or firmness of mind which enables a person to encounter danger with coolness and courage, or to bear pain or adversity without murmuring, depression, or despondency; passive courage; resolute endurance; firmness in confronting or bearing up against danger or enduring trouble.

* Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.

_It might be more than you believe  
It might be something you can't see  
It's not my time  
I'm not going  
There's a fear in me  
It's not showing  
This could be the end of me  
And everything I know_

_"It's Not My Time" by 3 Doors Down_

It lasted only for a few seconds, but the pain was damn near unbearable. The next thing Cody knew there was something heavy crashing into him, forcing him sideways and knocking him off of his feet. He rolled a couple of feet before stopping and then whatever had hit him also came to a rest alongside of him. Cody felt like his entire face had been sunburned as he struggled to his feet, wisps of smoke rising from his partially charred golden armor.

Looking next to him as he stood up, Cody realized that it was Zach who had tackled him and managed to force them both out of the path of Ashani's destructive attack. He reached down and helped his brother to his feet.

"Thanks," Cody said, steadying Zach as he stumbled. Zach winced in pain, his face looking just as sun burnt as Cody's felt.

"Anytime bro," He replied, looking over to the Demon Lord who was now delighting himself by smashing the tops of high buildings to pieces, killing dozens of innocent people hiding there. Cody scowled, the sight was completely sickening to him.

"How are we going to stop him now?" Cody asked his brother in a whisper, not wanting to be overheard by Ashani. He wanted to do something…anything…to bring down this monster, but he was out of ideas. Ashani seemed almost impervious to their blasts of light and he quickly regenerated his body from the damage done to it by the magical swords, Excalibur and Fortitude. What was there left for them to try?

"I think I have an idea. Do you remember the story you read about the Children of the Light?" Cody bit his lip in thought, remembering the day when he and Code had been doing some research. There was a part in it about defeating the Demon Lord and he recited it aloud for his brother.

"The leader of the children made the ultimate sacrifice and brought the demon lord crashing back down into the depths of the demon realm where he became trapped as the remaining children sealed the gateway to the mortal realm moments later."

"The leader of the children Cody…" Zach's eyes seemed to light up, almost as if to say he had found the answer to all of their problems.

"Taschen!" Cody hadn't put two and two together. He'd largely forgotten about the story in the face of the extreme dangers presented by the Demon Lord.

"Exactly. He sacrificed himself to force Ashani back into his realm and then the gateway was sealed behind him."

"But it's reversed this time, the gateway is sealed and he's still here…"

"Since we can't trap him, our only option now is to destroy him."

"But how?" Cody asked, momentarily halting the rapid fire exchange between the two of them.

"The full power of the light could do it. Channeling every last ounce of it into his body…he won't be able to stop it," He answered, a strange glint in his eyes. He looked almost afraid, but seemingly determined and resolute in the decision he was making.

"You can't control all of that Zach!" Cody protested, looking at him in disbelief. Was he really saying what Cody thought he was?

"That's the point little brother." Zach replied, flashing a fake grin to instill confidence in him. It failed.

"But…no!"

"I don't want to do this Cody, deep down my instincts are screaming at me not to, but I have to do this. I have to do this for you, for them and for me." He said, looking from Cody to the twins lying in the street near the semi conscious Max and then down at his own hands.

"No you don't! We'll find another way…" Cody felt like he was just going through the motions now. He knew that he couldn't change his brother's mind and that his plan was probably the only thing that would work.

"There is no other way. This must come to an end. Right here, right now." Zach shook his head slowly, confirming Cody's thoughts. His aura intensified, so much energy surging through his body that it warmed the air around him. Fortitude reformed in his hand, gleaming magnificently in the white light.

"I wish there was some other way. I finally have you back," Cody whispered, finally accepting his brother's decision and powering up himself. Golden light intensified around him and lightning sparked where the two aura's met, "I'll distract him for you."

"Thanks Cody. I couldn't have asked for a better brother." Cody controlled his emotions as best he could, but a tear still escaped his eye and ran down his cheek. It was ice cold, a strange sensation in the warmth of their auras. He turned his head to Ashani and nodded grimly.

"Let's do this."

"Right," As Zach spoke Cody took to the air and soared off to the right, drawing the Demon Lord's attention. He dodged several blasts of negative energy and sent back lances of golden light that stabbed into Ashani, destroying several layers of flesh. A massive arm swung at him and Cody flipped his body over it, pushing off of the arm with his feet as it passed by him, catapulting himself directly above the Demon Lord's head. Ashani's gaze followed him upwards, until he suddenly sensed Zach closing in on him.

Zach was a sight to see indeed. His aura had greatly expanded, there were now bolts of energy rotating within it seeming to warp the space around him as the air wavered much like it does when heat rises off the pavement on a hot summer day. Lighting bolts shot out of his aura at random, striking nearby buildings, sending a shower of sparks raining to the ground. His white and gold armor seemed to be on fire as well, it looked like the metal was white hot.

Raising Fortitude to head level and shifting it to his right side with both hands, Zach sailed into the monster. Another sonic boom echoed through the streets as he collided with Ashani, Fortitude stabbing deep into his chest. The Demon Lord had no time to react as all the power of the light that Zach could channel was released into him.

White light consumed Zach and Ashani both while Cody watched his brother die again. Grief and hatred consumed him and he sent blast after blast of golden energy into what little he could see of the Demon Lord's form wanting nothing more than to murder his brother's killer. He landed on the rooftop of a nearby building as the white light became to intense to look at and covered his eyes with his forearm.

As the light finally faded, everything seemed to become still and silent. Cody looked up over his arm and was horrified to see the Demon Lord had survived Zach's final attack. Ashani had been badly mauled by the attack however. He'd lost an arm and most of his upper body, it was as if someone had literally took a giant ice cream scoop to him.

"No…!" Cody breathed, enraged that Zach had sacrificed himself in vain. Then Cody realized that perhaps it was not in vain after all. The Demon Lord was incredibly weak now and his injuries were severe. Another attack like Zach's could finish him off, and there was only one person left standing who could muster such an assault.

So this was to be his fate? Cody had survived the slaughter of his family, the destruction of the entire world and two years of living hell to come to this moment in time. He'd been prepared to give his life to save his family, and now it seemed like the moment had come. Even with the younger twins dead and his mission to save everyone a partial disaster, he still knew what he had to do. He had the power to make a difference in billions of people's lives even if they never knew he existed. It was his duty to humanity.

"This is for my family, my friends and humankind!" Cody screamed, lifting off from the roof of the building he stood on and racing right at the Demon Lord. He let go of all of his control over his powers and felt the light surge through him. His aura expanded like Zach's, heat washed over him and he felt a burning pain race through him, but rather than cringe he welcomed it.

The end to all of his pain, grief and horrible memories…The end to all the senseless killing…The end to the darkness and the threat to the entire world. This was worth it, worth everything.

Cody came to a stop inside the crater Zach had created inside the Demon Lord's body. He looked up at Ashani's head towering high above him, just now looking down at him. As his energy built to a massive crescendo inside of him, barely contained, Cody smiled in vengeance.

"Time's up." He said, and then felt the light energy break free of his mortal body. As Cody's body was torn to pieces and vaporized by the surging explosion of light, he remembered a Christmas with his family from many years ago. He was twelve, and saddened that his parents weren't getting back together again after seemingly being happy around each other. But then they had told him that they were still a family, with a mother and father who loved him and Zach so very much. Cody took comfort in the memory, and it eased the physical pain consuming him until he was completely destroyed.

The golden light of Cody's sacrifice shredded Ashani's body, vaporizing every last bit of him in a powerful cascade of raw energy. Now, with both brother's sacrifices complete, the Demon Lord was forever gone. The clouds parted and rays of golden sunshine washed through the streets of Boston, warming the chilly air.

Everyone could breathe a sigh of relief, for it was finally over.

* * *

A few minutes later, Max awoke. She had been completely exhausted by what she had done and had passed out after the future twins had picked her up and carried her off to a safe place away from the fight. Max's head jerked up, looking around for Zach, Cody and the Demon Lord. She was surprised to see nothing more than a peaceful image of the sun washing the streets and buildings in warm light.

The future twins and Ashani were nowhere to be seen. Maybe they had defeated him…but where were they now? Max looked around, seeing nothing, until her gaze rested upon the two bodies lying in the street nearby.

She brought her hand to her mouth to keep from screaming, seeing her two best friends lying dead in the street. Code and Zack had helped her repel the steady steam of demons coming through the gateway, but it had all became fuzzy after that. How could this have happened?

Max wanted to get up and go over to them, but she seemed to have lost all feeling in her limbs. She couldn't move, paralyzed by the horrible sight of her friends. Zack had been her first crush, first kiss, first date and had accepted her for who she was as a friend when they had first met at school. She wasn't as close to Code, but he too was still a good friend, her fondest memory of him was the time he had tried to help her win the Dance USA contest after his brother had injured his leg. Code was a goof, but she still cared about him deeply.

Now they were both gone, and she lowered her head as the tears flowed freely. How could she live like this? How would she tell their mother that her sons were dead? This was a nightmare.

Something suddenly made Max look up, she wasn't sure what it was, but she felt that it was important. She wiped her eyes dry and started in the twin's general direction for awhile, looking for what had caught her attention in the stillness surrounding them. There! There it was!

Code's right hand twitched, and his fingers momentarily flexed as though feeling the texture of the ground he was lying on. Then he was still. Just a dozen feet ahead of him was Zack lying face down as well, his back rose slightly and then fell as though he were taking slow deep breaths.

Hope flooded through Max as she struggled to her feet. Were they…? Could they really be…? Was it possible that the young twins had somehow survived? Were they still alive?

* * *

Thanks for sticking with me this long everyone (Hurricane13, Wyntirsno, SkyHighFan, AlecTowser especially as my biggest reviewers and PM critics *cough Sky cough* hehe). Hope you all liked the final battle. Please let me know what you think.

Max awakens to the aftermath of the battle to save our world. What has become of the twins, present and future alike? Where does the world go from here?

Stay turned for **Chapter 12: One Year**


	12. One Year

**Chapter 12**

**"One Year"**

_You can't quit until you try  
You can't live until you die  
You can't learn to tell the truth  
Until you learn to lie_

_You can't breathe until you choke  
You gotta laugh when you're the joke  
There's nothing like a funeral to make you feel alive_

_Just open your eyes  
Just open your eyes  
And see that life is beautiful.  
Will you swear on your life,  
That no one will cry at my funeral?_

_"Life Is Beautiful" by Sixx: A.M._

It was a beautiful day to say the least. The warmth of summer was still present, though a cool gentle breeze brought extreme comfort to those enjoying the outdoors. The sky was a magnificent shade of azure blue, and there wasn't a cloud to be seen for miles. Golden light from the sun high overhead lit up everything in sight and made it seem more vibrant and alive than normal.

The smell of freshly cut grass mingled with the sweet scent of flowers. Such a beautiful day in a placed filled with such sadness. The wind kicked up momentarily and sent loose pieces of grass and rose petals flying past dozens of graves before coming to rest in front of two identical white marble headstones. They were nearly identical, except for the names inscribed upon them.

_"Cody Mitchell Martin. Zachary Thomas Martin"_

_"Beloved son, brother and friend. A true hero and a pure soul. You will be lovingly remembered and forever missed."_

_"__August 4th 1992__ – __September 9th 2010__."_

Standing before the empty graves of the future Martin twins were five people, quietly reflecting on the events that had brought them to this time and place. On one end was a handsome young man dressed in formal looking red and gold attire. It might look strange at first glance, but after studying it one could appreciate the beauty of it. Taschen, Lord Guardian of the Earth Realm shifted his gaze from the graves to his companions.

On the opposite end of the five was Carey Martin, in one of her best black dresses. She had an odd expression on her face, halfway between sadness and puzzlement. It was hard for her to grieve over the sons she had never known, and yet at the same time she couldn't help it. The future, the past, the preset all be damned. She was still their mother.

Max stood next to Carey, her beautiful blue dress whipping gently in the wind. Her expression was unreadable when she looked down at the ground, but it turned to loving concern when she looked at the two young men beside her.

Code and Zack were both looking at the graves of their future selves, remembering the events of the night one year ago that had changed their lives forever. Code shifted uncomfortably in his black suit, the best clothes he and also Zack owned, wishing for someone to break the agonizing silence.

"Cody came to us across the great expanse of time along with the soul of his dead brother to change everyone's fate and prevent the world from being destroyed. Together the two of them succeeded, but at a terrible cost to themselves." Taschen stepped up to the plate, his unusually soft voice snapping them all out of their thoughts.

"They were really brave," Max whispered, putting her arm around Zack's shoulders and drawing him closer to her. The two of them had gotten back together in the weeks after the final battle. He had been her most powerful emotional support while she recovered from the loss of her parents and getting used to living with a foster family.

"They were just doing what they had to do to save the people they loved," Zack said, smiling at her. Code was really happy for the two of them, that they had found love after the darkest chapter of their lives. Everything would be alright from now on, he was sure of it. Everyone stood there a moment longer, honoring the fallen hero's.

"I'll be around, if you need me," Taschen said to them, turning and walking away. His body turned into a reddish gold light and he disappeared.

"He never sticks around for a chat," Code grinned and then turned to head back to their car, his mother falling into step beside him. Zack and Max followed them at a short distance.

"Feeling ok honey?" Carey asked, resting her arm across his shoulders much like Max was doing to Zack. Was he feeling ok? Code honestly didn't have an answer for that and told his mother as much. He was still getting used to what had happened to him and his brother after Ashani had blasted the two of them.

Carey got behind the wheel of the car and Code took the passenger seat while Max and Zack climbed into the back seat. Zack had driven them out here, but he didn't seem to be in the mood to drive any more.

"Still feeling different Code?" Zack asked from the backseat.

"Yeah…" Code drifted off, not wanting to talk about it but thinking about it just the same. Ashani didn't need to destroy a person's body to effectively kill them, all he needed to do was to destroy their souls. He had done just that. The blasts of negative energy had shattered the twins souls and it was then that their bodies nearly died. They remained alive however, barely clinging to life because they could feel the distant presence of the future twin's souls fighting the Demon Lord.

When they sacrificed themselves to destroy him once and for all, the future twins had destroyed their bodies in the process but not their souls. In the aftermath of Ashani's destruction the future souls were drawn into the bodies of the present twins and together they survived. The souls didn't contain a consciousness any more and the memories of the future twins seemed to be lost upon them now. Zack and Code hadn't felt any different at first, but after a year living like this they had noticed subtle changes in each other that could only be explained by what had happened to them.

So that was their life now. Zack and Code had changed a little bit, but they were still the same lovable twins they always had been. Cody looked out the front window as Carey pulled away from the graveyard and out onto the road. Life was going to move on and everything would be alright.

"Can't believe it's been a year already…" Code said, closing his eyes and resting his head against the window.

"Things sure have changed haven't they?" Zack replied, closing his eyes as well, his head resting against Max's which was already on his shoulder.

"Yeah Zack…" He answered, the gentle movement of the car lulling him to sleep.

Carey smiled softly, looking at her sleeping older son with Max resting sideways in his arms and then over at Code who looked so gentle and innocent resting his head against the car window. She looked up from the road and into the sky for a second, and whispered to anyone who might be listening high above.

"Thank you for saving my sons."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well there you have it. The Chaos Demons finally comes to an end. I hope you all liked it and I want to thank you all for sticking with me till this point. This final chapter was meant to be a little bit more than what it is, and I'm sorry about that, but I just couldn't leave you guys hanging for two to three weeks while I'm away and unable to do any writing.

I really like what I've done with this story and I've been thinking about making a sequel to it. Keep an eye on my profile and the new stories in general. If I can flesh out a rough draft of the plot I'll make a serious attempt at a sequel.

Please leave reviews/comments on the ending of this story and if you have some interesting ideas about what happens to the boys now feel free to PM me. If they fit with my rough idea of the sequel, I'll add them to the story and give credit where it's due.

Thanks again everyone. Peace out!


	13. The Sequel

**"The Sequel**"

The world was supposed to end over two years ago…

It didn't…

But that wasn't supposed to happen…

It was a mistake…

A deviation from the path of destiny…

The world is on a collision course with oblivion…

It cannot be changed…

Only delayed…

And the inevitable can only be delayed so long…

Time is the enemy…

And time is running out.

* * *

Zack and Cody Martin are back in the much awaited Sequel to The Chaos Demons. Life for them has moved on normally until Cody starts having dreams of the apocalyptic future that his alternate self survived and Zack starts to feel like someone is watching him in both his dreams and waking moments. Both of them begin to feel like they're living on borrowed time...

Stay tuned for **"Reflections in Time"**, debuting later tonight.


End file.
